just wondering, although i already know the answer but still need to vent before i crack up, why it is that this phd is making me feel like the most stupid person alive?! im trying to analyse data from a recent experiment, and between issues in experimental design, having to put up with dicky people in carrying out the experiments and prep work, now its just a nightmare trying to do the analysis! having to learn several new methods of statistical analysis, things ive never ever been good at is just totally soul destroying! its awful, usually im the happiest person ever, always bouncing around and smiling but lately im more depressing then marvin the paranoid android :( i hate feeling so thick!

think this post should be titled 'how it feels to be a phd student'! this is EXACTLY how i feel today, and i'm sure lots of other people do too! hope you feel better for having vented :)

The university working environment has a way of making very clever people feel very inadequate.  It's not right, things shouldn't be this way. You're not thick, you are (obviously) a highly intelligent and talented person who's been made to feel like sh*t...don't forget that.

CanI join in? I often wonder what my fees are for since I have to teach myself how to do every blesed thing - constantly reinventing the wheel.

Try speaking to a friend who is smart, but not in the field. That will give you perspective. People who aren't in your position and don't have to face the same material every day tend to be blown away by PhD-level research. I gave a presentation to a fine arts class yesterday (I'm an engineer), and they were super-interested by the topic; yet I am often bored by it.

ah thanks guys! its so true though, it's so frustrating having to deal with feeling like that on top of everything else! Although I did find that a quick walk home and nap made me feel so much better! My supervisor is generally pretty good, but he's so busy (recently became head of department along with having about 20 other phd students...) that I feel guilty about bringing it up with him so I tend to say nothing and slowly go mad! :)

Smoobles - i have a track that always helps cheer me up, if you are in need of a little music therapy, its by Jason Mraz, called The Remedy :) and I'm rather embarassed to admit that while listening to radio 1 this morning destinys child Survivor came on which really got me going! :$

I hear you all as I'm in the same position! I've had a depressing few days feeling very stupid and I hate the feeling too! It's not one you can explain when someone asks you what's wrong! Stats are evil and I'm having to learn them myself which worries me stupid especially if I get asked to explain them!!! Doh! I feel like there is so much more I should know and that I haven't learn very much! And then I think I've just gone and made a really stupid mistake in a really simple technique. I was really beating myself up about this and getting the sinking feeling in my stomach! I felt really dumb when I checked with one of my supervisors what I should be doing and I'm sure he thought I was an idiot as what he said showed he didn't understand where I was coming from! And I didn't get what he was explaining when I asked how to do something else! It really wasn't a very good day so I just left not having really resolved my problem! Think there has to be another way to do it!

I used to be an optimistic happy person too but that all went downhill since starting the PhD! Sometimes I think a personality transplant is needed to do one as I have felt down alot of the time and withdrawn! I really think PhDs should come with health warnings and I can understand why people who were doing PhDs used to say "Why?" to me when I told them I was about to start one though I didn't at the time! I also find it's a very isolating and needless to say stressful experience!

Hang in there and we'll get through it one way or another! Think we just need to have faith in ourselves and prove that we can do it!

I think unles you are doing a PhD IN maths then if you are going to need to use advanced maths it really is not too much to expect some training. I really feel I've spent a lot of time learning stuff which could have been dealt with in a fraction of the time with some hands-on training. Many other places and subjects have training for various methodologies. Very sore point :-s

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I had the opposite problem. My undergrad degree was in maths and then I moved into social science for my PhD. I can do the numbers but I can't write to save my life. It has taken me years to get to grips with it and even now my supervisor still lets me know that I'm rubbish (my supervisor and I love each other very much ...NOT!). I was given no help or training with writing or indeed any supervision to speak of. It is a disgrace that we get treated like this. One of us should become Minister for Education and then we could sort it out :p Or at least have bad departments and bad supervisors put in stocks and pelted with rotten veg!

Excellent idea Sarah! I look forward to the day when I can do that! It has made me :-) Who fancies being the Minister of Education so we can arrange something? ;-)

Sarah - you and I should be doing a joint PhD - we would rule the world8-)