Coastman - thats what our transfer is - MPhil to PhD, strange how some are 1 year and some 2 years. I know of quite a few other Unis that do it after 2 as well - I thought that was standard!

thats good to hear - was dreading it actually!

And not only because it is a 7 hour trek from here...

oops hit reply too early

I feel exactly the same as you - see my post on confidence issues, I too have never felt like I fit in but then again I dont have a group as such, there is my supervisor, my 2nd super, me and 6 undergrads and thats it, no postdocs, no other lecturers involved.....

Dont quit, dont feel bad about your transfer - most sane lecturers wouldnt have let you submit that early!! Even mine and he is the least sane person I know!! Well he took me on as PhD student for a start!

eeek did I just read that right - you are only 15 months in and have submitted a transfer already??

I am also 15 months in and am nowhere near tranfer - we were told it was at the end of 2nd year - now by my reckoning (and I was always crap at maths so go easy on me) thats another 9 months!

Thanks guys. I feel a little better now after talking it through with my research administrator and also my 3rd supervisor (who is not directly involved in my project) They both spoke sense but I still feel like I need to improve my confidence and am not sure how... I am booked on the UK grad school thingymajig in May but its only January so have a while yet

Hi all

Has any one any ideas of how to raise confidence levels with regards to knowledge etc.
I am in the middle of my 2nd year and still feel like I know nothing and dont know where to go next.
My supervisor is worse than useless and is constantly saying 'oh the project students are getting results...' he has 6 undergrad project students working on variations of my project.
I had a supervision this am and I felt like he kicked me in the teeth!

Im lucky in that my boyf already has a Phd, though he does moan about me being a 'lazy student' all the time, there has been quite a few times where he has been home before me (though he does get to work at 7.30 and thats when I leave the house)

It does annoy me sometimes - thinking he knows what its like why is he like this but then the rest of the time he is great!

Danny - sorry no I meant I got a 2:2 (in Chemistry) then a MSc (in chemistry, just a pass though not distinction) and Im now in my 2nd year PhD

its EPSRC funded (so 12.3k this year plus extra benefits like free Gradschool places etc and bigger consumables budget than uni funded ones)

I just applied to the uni / supervisor and got funded that way - cant help with the finance / economics side though

Yes - as thats what I did!!

ooh thats just answered some of my questions too - I have just started 2nd year and am EPSRC funded, my supervisor wanted me to go on one last year - his words were 'you have a MSc, you are counted as 2nd year, forget what the form says'

but now I have been sent the email about it for this year and am wondering which one to go on - I have never liked these team building malarkies (I have always managed perfectly well without them before)

You have only just met your supervisor??? Did you not meet them before you started - like at an interview or tour of labs etc???

I find that a bit weird!

mine is but then again my supervisor is a grumpy glaswegian and it seems to rub off on me!

now your all making me feel old, im 26 and have only just started, im nearly as old as some of the lecturers!!!!

how old do i feel (well as the saying goes - 32, as thats how old my boyf is!) generally at the moment when i see all the 18 yr old undergrads i feel old then too!!

my mate went to a 4 day one in iceland on her phd all paid for!! in her 2nd year, some genetics or immunology thingy

ive just been to a conference today in london (im at brighton uni) and its paid for on my budget!!

admittedly its a one day thing but train fairs, admission, lunch and expenses all comes off my budget

oh and i only started last week!!