Hi guys, I am a self-funded international PhD student at a UK institute 3 months through in my second year. My PhD topic choice was something completely new and it is in one of the hardest field of engineering! I had to take 4 modules during my first year plus learning software as well as I have done some numerical analysis and an extensive literature review which I read so much which has made me really confused and can't remember much from the journals. I was enjoying me PhD until a day my supervisor left me a note saying she wanted to see me! By the way I am her first PhD student as she just became a lecturer last year. She told me I don't have enough material to put in to my confirmation review and that she is worried I fail! Since then I lost all my energy as she told me a few times similar things. Once when I was 6 months into my PhD she told me she gets shivers when she thinks about my upgrade to PhD. I really don't know what to do! I am confused and feel so stupid. I feel everybody can do meaningful work except me! I feel whatever I do is worth NOTHING! I have never been encouraged for anything and every-time I see my supervisor I can see the worry in her face! My office mates told me that she is generally a nervous person. She constantly asks if I do some quality time study! I am so tired of this question! I constantly need to talk to someone. I am under pressure and had so much hair loss. My second supervisor is more experienced, he never warned me or anything, He is very busy and seem to be cool with me and my work, so I don't know whether he thinks I am fine or he doesn’t care ! I cried in front of my first supervisor last week! Is really confirmation review such a big deal? Why am I the only one finding it sooooo hard to put myself together and finish my confirmation review!!! Did anybody else experience this? I don't have any energy to finish these bloody 20 pages of report! I constantly think I am going to fail anyway! My confirmation is due in 10 days!! I feel I will NOT answer any question in my Confirmation review!!

It's hard to tell whether your primary supervisor's anxiety is a true reflection of you, or more driven by their inexperience/insecurity in their new role as supervisor.

Do you have a postgraduate advisor/tutor at the department/faculty level, who is one step removed and can offer advice? They may be able to provide you with more objective guidance. It would also be worth having your concerns/situation logged with them should problems arise in the future.

Your supervisor's advice doesn't sound very constructive. Is it worth asking for a meeting to discuss specifically the things she thinks you need to work on for your review? Maybe your second supervisor would be available to meet as well? At the minute it sounds like she is being very anxious and this is affecting you.