New PhD students - let's all panic together!

P

Heheheheheee!!! LOLLOLOLOL!!!

Hmm germany! I'd learnt German for some while, and can currently sing the national anthem thank you very much!! I am working with 2 german theorists for my PhD as well, hmmmm....

E

I can't sing it yet, though I do like the music !!! I'm not a big fan of German, since it's not the most musical of languages... but well I don't have much of a choice right now...

E

A little something for the newbies:
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=82

Do click on 'next' to read part 2 and 3 of the little story :-)

M

I'm kind of new, I'm about six months in and still feel lost. When does it all become clear??

S

I started last Wednesday. It is the best place to be for my area which is good but I also find it slightly intimidating. We have weekly sessions with the staff in the research group and everyone has to say their piece and make a contribution and last week I was so nervous and couldn't say what I meant to! Sometimes I feel like a bit of a fraud and like maybe I don't know as much as I should do.

I have my first formal meeting with my supervisor tomorrow and should hopefully also have my office sorted out by then. I have been doing a fair bit of reading but keep worrying that I'm not taking enough in, or that I am sending too long reading each article...

I am looking forward to being settled in and being able to relax a bit.

A

Quote From myoung:

When does it all become clear??

I think the day after graduation ;-)

E

Star-shaped I feel like a fraud too, but I heard it's normal for us beginners... there was even a thread about it recently.

E

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http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=138

:-)

E

hey everyone! I am also a newbie, just started two weeks ago so I'm on week three now and just as lost as ever:p I've had some meetings now with my supervisors so I'm clearer now what I have to do, but things are just all over the place at the moment!! I'm co-supervising a final year undergrad as well as demonstrating first year labs (just for 4 hours a week) and also doing two modules...yikes! How on earth do people find time to actually do their research??

C

Hi All,

Starting soon myself, first meeting with supervisor is next week Thursday so hopefully by then i will have moved into my new abode and be slightly settled :). Have to also it seems prepare for a 3 month review eek :) but I'am sure it won't be as frightning as it sounds.

On a side note, who would have though moving would be so damn expensive :D, i've been bled dry, I can't imagine how someone waiting for studentship money to clear could move in any earlier given i have had to fork over around £1,500+ to just get moving into this flat lol. I suppose it is best to get used to being broke early on eh ;).

Good luck to everyone.

Regards Wolfe

S

Glad I found this place! I just started my PhD last Wednesday as well coming straight from my BSc. I feel like such a newbie in my lab, everyone seems to be in before me and leave after me and is constantly working on something all day. I just seem to be reading, and feeling really stupid having to look up "simple" things to understand equations. Glad I'm not the only one who feels like a fraud!

P

Whaaay, newbies!! I just started my PhD last Monday after coming straight from a BSc. We have some 3rd year undergrad students in our lab and one asked me "So, did you do a masters?", to which i replied "No". The look on his face was a picture. All I seem to be doing at the moment is learning lab skills, eating, sleeping (occasionally), and reviewing. I decided to be proactive and start my lit review for my first year viva. Plus, I'm going to use loads of it for my final viva. What's everyone else doing? My PhD is to do with Heart Failure. Any other biology/biochemists around? It's a shame that this thing (findaphd.com) has to be anonymous cos we could set up a facebook group (I fell into that trap recently).

P

Whaaay, newbies!! I just started my PhD last Monday after coming straight from a BSc. We have some 3rd year undergrad students in our lab and one asked me "So, did you do a masters?", to which i replied "No". The look on his face was a picture. All I seem to be doing at the moment is learning lab skills, eating, sleeping (occasionally), and reviewing. I decided to be proactive and start my lit review for my first year viva. Plus, I'm going to use loads of it for my final viva. What's everyone else doing? My PhD is to do with Heart Failure. Any other biology/biochemists around? It's a shame that this thing (findaphd.com) has to be anonymous cos we could set up a facebook group (I fell into that trap recently).

P

Hu purplerain there IS a facebook group for this forum and a good many of us are members....but hmmmm...too much stuff discused around here for people to stop being anon LOL!

S

Lol lol lol - yep, I joined the facebook group and cannot work out who ANYBODY is lol. Sigh, am I alone in finding it virtually impossible to get motivated to get going? I envy you that work in labs and have to - I have reading to do in prep for my lit review and see my supervisor again in November some time (can't remember date - in diary lol) so its kinda do some by then and come and talk to me about it - arrgghhhh- I need to get going but somehow I've already learned the fine art of procrastination and we're what 2 weeks in???? This is gonna hurt lol

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