I am in the 2nd week of my science PhD and i am worried that i made a mistake in deciding to do a PhD. I never really thought i was clever enough to do one but I pursued it because of my interest in the subject and i want a good job afterwards. But now that i have started I am reading papers and i find it quite hard to understand everything and i dont have the ability to form my own ideas. But i cant quit because i feel i will be letting everyone downj including myself.

Hi Anna (are you the same Anna as in the 'thesis' thread?) If you are new to the field and new to research then it's normal to find reading research papers hard work! As you become familiar with the topic, and with the methodology involved in the research, the papers will become easier to understand. Two weeks is a short time and noone will expect you to know it all by now. Give it time and try not to worry. Ask your supervisor or a post-doc for some good review papers to help you learn the basics :o)

Dont worry Anna, everyone I know who started their PhD at the same time as me thought they werent clever enough. I couldnt understand what my supervisors were talking about for months! But one day it just started to click. Stick it out for a bit longer. Afterall i did, and Im thick as xxxx!