Anyone else feeling down about their PhD at the moment? I'm trying to ligate my genes into cells and they are just not working. I've trouble shooted and still nothing, and now some of my colleagues are having a go as they say it should work. I KNOW THAT!!!

I'm feeling a bit down too. Have a break stop thinking about it for a bit then try again.

Patience , my dear boy, patience. Do as Jen says, have a coffee, mull over it a bit, get a nice bar of chocolate and relax. I've spent the past week trying to find a journal paper that's actually useful and it was only yesterday I stopped banging my head against my desk having found one.

Yeah - I'm having a particularly bad week. I've just found THE most important paper of my three years and I'm waiting on it coming on inter library loan (so I can go and and buy the bits to repeat what they do). It's been a week now, but according to the library there isn't a problem. I really want to get stuck into it. On top of this, recently I haven't been able to get the technicians to do anything for me - they seen to have an 'ignore it and it will go away'

mentality. This is EXTRA FRUSTRATING. Whether or not I get any results totally depends on these people! I can't cope with that!!! Things are bound to pick up soon everyone :)

I'm coming towards the end of my 2nd year and although I have some results, none of them are what you could call meaningful. I have reached a point where all the rest of my PhD (i.e, the bits with the meaningful results) hinges on me being able to finish this bit of work. My supervisor (and most of the department) are away for 3 weeks on two conferences and he wants me to have completed this by the time he returns.

Can't you email him and ask his advice? If not is there no one else that can help?

Well I have lots of chocolate if you want some. Might be useless for your work, but it'll make you feel good inside.

supervisor - e-mail???!!! NOT A CHANCE. Supervisors just want to be left alone - this is an important lesson to learn as a PhD student. Learn it early.

Really Sue? That makes me worry as I've been seeing a lot of my supervisor in the two weeks since I started.

I see mine quite a lot as well and he's always said that his door is always open. And if I want ask anything to go ahead and ask.

0.2g of street Heroin IV does it for me. Find your vice and enjoy it!

When my supervisor is here is door is always open. Being based at a university with many campuses at various hospitals he is often travelling around London. But as I said, there are not many people here as they are all away at conferences/holidays until the start of November (when I have to take time off for a stay in hospital!)

Well, that's been my experience. I think I am in a particularly bad situation though. I recently vowed never to e-mail my supervisor again because I just got stressed waiting on replies that never came (so the supervisor won the battle!). In fact, I avoid asking for help at all possible costs. If you don't think you can do that, I'd advise always talking to your supervisor in person - makes it much more difficult (but not impossible) for them to ignore you.

I am also in the dumps with my advisor. However, instead of ignoring my e-mails, I get really negative feedback. I really want to do a PhD but she is not supportive, while other profs that I have talked to are. Its really hard when the person that is supposed to support you the most is so negative and abusive.