Wondering if anyone has any good advice... Just started phd (3 months in) and finding that my supervisor is being incredibly critical of everything I do, I can't seem to do anything right - and it seems to be just me, the other students get on fine with her. She has mentioned the 10-month 'probationary period' twice to me now and I'm wondering whether I should just cut my losses now or keep on trying. I've done some really good purification experiments recently and am pretty clued up on everything I'm doing, I know I'm not being stupid but it can't be normal to do 11 hour days and come home crying almost every night. Just feel like am trying so hard but hitting a brick wall. I will speak to my second supervisor tomorrow. Anyone else had horrible experiences? Help!

I am doing my Master's at the moment. Its ok now but for the whole first year I was feeling very uncomfy.
It involved only one or two days a week of work,I was just going there to do the daily stuff without any of my own research(more a guest than a member)
I was so stressed over what I am doing that I kept doing ridiculous mistakes. It wasn't serious but as I need enormous amounts of acceptance just to go on,little things and lack of enthusiasm from my supervisor were making me feel really unhappy.
My way to deal with it was buying sweets. Something good. Something the whole team can have but obviously you give it to the supervisor. I used to say something like: this is to sweeten up the day with thanks for your patience or i got this of my mum for the whole team as i always say a lot about you at home.
You may try to get something that involves cutting and sharing, this will bring the whole team together in one room and may be a good opportunity to unify, which hopefully could break your supervisor a little.

On the other hand I have learned one thing: the worse the beginning, the better the rest. People who are difficult at the beginning usually turn out to be really friendly.

I some kind of agree with mellory: better to have critical supervisor than somebody who is happy with everything you do and then you fail the first year...your relationship still can change.

But what to do- would you be able to find somebody else who might have a look on your work, discuss your ideas, just to have some other opinion on your work? In some universities every student has faculty adviser besides his supervisor...