hey. for the last 18 months i've been writing my first chapter and i have had to change my supervisor because none of them was familiar with the topic. the new one i got is the same, a bit better tho. i went to see him supervisor today after having send him my work. he reckons that i haven't been doing what he asked me to do. i feel quite discouraged coz i did a good 20000+ words on this assignment that i was supposed to do, then when i go to see him he says he doesn even know what to say to me, coz whenever he gives me instructions i can't follow them or he isn able to explain them properly. i told my supervisor that i would rewrite it and he said i didn need to write anymore coz am writing irrelevant stuff.

my supervisor is frustrated with me and my research topic and i've began to wonder whether i have the ability to do a phd in the first place. i've never been a failure in my life and am finding this hard to deal with. i regret each day why i took up this phd. i would have been elsewhere, happy and living, instead of having to content with this supervisor who trushes my work and offers no suggestions on how i could possibly improve it.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with your last sentence: he offers no suggestions. Yes, a Ph. D is your work, but a supervisor is responsible - whether they like it or not - for making sure that you are following the right path. It sounds as if you haven't been offered regular meetings (which at my uni are compulsory, and minutes of which must be lodged with the faculty). And to say that you shouldn't write any more is rude to say the least, and most unhelpful.

Are you his first student?

Hi jojo,

From what I remember from your previews posts, most of your problems seem to arise from the lack of adequate supervision. Is there anyway you can get supervision from somebody who really masters your topic? Any external supervisor who doesn't work for you university maybe but with whom you could have frequent contact, and who could work together your current supervisors so they get to know better which your needs are? Not that I know your situation but from what you've told in this forum I think this would be the only way to sort it.

how do i get external supervision? has anybody ever done that?

i know of two professors who've written a bit directly on my field. both are at different unis. the rest are in Australia. I don't know what I should do coz my area is interdisciplinary and my supervisors seem to be frustrated because they are both specialists in the separate disciplines am looking at. what is most frustrating is that my second supervisor doesn even care and he is the one who is supposed to be dealing with this introductory part of the thesis. i just wish i never came to this uni in the first place.

have you read the regulations of your university jojo? My university accepts external supervisors only on justified cases. I have an external supervisor now (since my mid-second year), and I think it was a great decision. There is nothing worse than having a supervisor like that, so can understand your feelings. (OK mine aren't exactly like yours, but they are no use to my phd whatsoever). I think you will need to speak to your director of studies. And if your director of studies is one of the supervisors that you've already mentioned here, it might be a bit difficult for you. Perhaps you can contact someone from your research office and tell them about your concerns and inquire about the possibilities of an external supervisor. I think you'll need to find this external yourself.

oh, and don't quit. There is a solution out there, you just need to consider your options

what do you study again jojo? i cant remember

alot of people have this problem. You should write down what you think he says to you in the meeting. THEN send a copy of this to him by email and asks if this is what you agreed and discussed. Then take it with you in the next meeting and say how you have completed each bit on the list. Do this - then if hes still beign silly then go to your grad school with proof.

I was going to suggest what driven2insanity said. We got told to do this when I started my PhD, and also to make sure we had two supervisors. I never did it because I felt like I would look like I didn't trust my supervisor. Thank goodness she's great, but I feel like it ought to be something the universities practise, rather than putting the onus on PhD students who have more to lose if they make a bad impression on their new supervisor.
So yeah, maybe try taking minutes of the meeting and confirming everything with him in email form?

Also, I just reread your original post: he's so illogical! What help is he to you saying he can't help you because the work you've done isn't right? In what circumstances IS he prepared to offer constructive help then?!

Jojo, I thought you had got quite stuck into your thesis because you kept putting on posts about finishing it and what you will do next.

It sounds like you have communication issues with your supervisor however we don't know the other side of the story either, maybe you do misunderstand what he says to you.

I am also confused about you put in the original post, does that mean he gives up being your supervisor?

H - I simply make my plans way in advance and just because am having difficulties does not imply that i was never stuck into my thesis.

thanks alicepalace, 404 and driventoinsanity. I think that may just be what I will have to do next.

jojo you can't possibley quit now. Sorry you are having a crappy time (PGFT is crappy OK?)

If you have actually started writing up you are so near and I know it must seem quite the opposite with all this stress - but reall hang on in there - something will happen/change with the stoopid super.

xx big hug.