It's my first year review meeting today at 2pm! Have been a bit anxious all weekend, but not too bad, but really feeling it now.

I think it should go fine in terms of passing it, but it's more just the fact that it's gonna be a really stressful meeting. They say it's like a mini viva. I'm not generally good at thinking up answers to hard questions on the spot, and my supervisors have told me they will deliberatly be asking me hard questions! Also worried I don't know the theory side of it well enough and just generally really anxious!

any words of advice/support/encouragement will be very gratefully received.

I believe you will be perfectly fine!
It is normal to be anxious, but it is YOUR work! You have written it and you know it better than anybody else!
You will be there to defend your work. My first year's report was just a written piece, that was examined without me being present, so I couldn't defend my work. The examinre just read it and wrote his feedback!
Don't worry!
Good luck!

You'll be fine!!! I have this every six months and remember, its a safe place. Your supervisors want you to do well and I'm assured that its fantastic practice for the big day in 3 years time! When they ask you a question take you time, take a deep breath and don't panic. They will help you, but be honest, this is not about you passing or failing as such but an opportunity to get really good feedback on your work and to find out where your weaknesses lie and how to address them. I'm always terrified lol and my last one was pretty full on lol, but its great actually - good experience and really worthwhile :-)

I passed the review! It was really hard though...some really tough questions. I definatly overused the word eeeeeehhhhhhhh.... and did have to stop once or twice near the beginning because my mind had went completly blank and I lost my train of thought! luckily they were nice about it, and all's well that end's well!

thanks for the replies telling me not to worry! I do always get worked up about stuff like this!

So now I can continue the phd, and get on with it! ( which would be good except the main thing i need to get on with is stats.....gggrrrrroooooaaaaannnn :-s

Well done! I had mine a couple of weeks ago, so glad to get it out of the way!

Have fun with the stats. ;-)

Well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woo! I passed too. Bloody awful meeting where I was knackered (three hours sleep due to sodding freshers), fluffed a few easy questions and got asked some just plain leftfield things. Other than that, some really good points were raised and a lot of useful information was thrown at me. Anyhow, now that it's done I can go back to bed before starting to work on some of the issues they raised. Yay! Second year.8-)

Well done :-) another hoop successfully negotiated :-) Welcome to the 2nd year! (says she, about to enter the hell that is the 3rd year lol!)

thanks everyone!

I am glad to be in second year, but at the same time, horrified at how quickly time is passing and how much there still is to do!

i'm happy that we have this forum to share our stresses and anxieties, as well as the occassional good times!

Just had my first year review too. I passed but I feel depressed. Why? I guess its an emotional let-down. I was stressed out beforehand and when I passed I wanted to celebrate. I texted a friend I had passed and he said 'I expected you to!' and my supervisors said the same. Everyone around me treats my 'achievements' as routine. I think they think I sail through these things. I never get a chance to celebrate. Sometimes I wish I could fail because then I could have a chance to feel something. I am surrounded by people who think I am a 'machine', a clever thinking machine. How did that happen? I am flesh and blood! This is so unfair. [Gloom]

Know what you mean. I got the PhD last week and all I got from friends and family after 4 years of horror and constant near-breakdown was 'we new you would breeze through', 'why did you make such a fuss etc.'. It really took the shine off things. i wanted to collapse on someone and bitch about it.