Hello everyone, I started my phd 3 months ago and just gave presentation for a journal club for around 15 people. granted people were going to ask me questions and I would not have the answers but I felt like my own supervisor was just trying to embrass me by pointing out things I did not know. I am beginning to think I am not cut out for a phd. Please help!

There are three possibilities here. Either you're taking it too badly, or your supervisor was trying to put you in at the deep end without meaning to upset you, or your supervisor is nasty.

I doubt the first one is true, so it's one of the other two. What is your relationship with your supervisor like? Do you get on? And is hte normally like that at journal club meetings?

I get on with my supervisor ok, have not had any major issues with her but then again I dont see her on a daily basis. This was the first journal club that we have done. I just feel like there is so much I dont know and how am I supposed to get updated with everything? To make things worse, there are not any phd students working here and I dont really talk to either of them. I feel very isolated.

I kind of felt that way about the feedback I was getting from my superviors during the early days. They hinted that I was not up to the standard. I got so upset and dreaded going to meetings for a while. But once you develop a thick skin (you need that) for those comments and try to see if they are really true comments and if not start fighting back with facts and evidence from the literature, that way you will be able to develop the strength to go beyond personal and emotional feeling and see the points. good practice when you face the crticis of your work later in the years. The time is still ahead for you to develop, so dont be too hard on yourself, its a learning curve.

well, I am afraid that even when you will be a Professor, still there will be many things you wont be aware of.

If your relationship with your superivisor in general is good, then most likely s/he was simply trying to help you with attracting your atention to the things you need to read for your own sake.

Hiya

With regard to keeping up with everything, I find that getting databases (e.g. Web of Science) to email me with recently published articles that meet by given key words helps. Also, I subscribe to the table of contents from relevant journals in my area so that I can try to keep up to date with things. Apologies if I am stating the obvious and I realise you may well do these things anyway!

Best of luck

PS - The first time you do things like journal club is always scary, it will get better.

Do not give up!!! Maybe he was trying to put you in the deep down and see if you swim or drown??? It can sometimes be effective so try not to take it personally it will give you good experience for when you are at conference.

Thanks for all your messages. I am feeling much better about things this week and have realised I just have to look at it as a challenge!