hey there

i started my phd in sept 2010, been at it for about 4 months now.

i was wondering how much guidance you would expect from your supervisor up to this point, as sometimes i feel my supervisor would be more concerned with his students who are further on in their studies (i.e 2nd/3rd year), and i would be attended to last.

does this sound like a usual situation to anybody?

as a seperate issue (ill just wedge it in here too) - i am not feeling part of our phd group very much (there are 5/6 of us) and i think this is something that will affect me as i am supposed to be learning from them and absorbing information as i go along.

early on they told me they go for lunch on fridays to 'catch up' but i could not go as i had cashflow probs - so since then they just go without asking me, so this is something that makes me feel pretty left out. i am thinking i shud just be a bit more forward and ask them when they are going but i just get the feeling they dont seem to care if i go or not. also i get certain 'vibes' of some of them that im not too keen on, some of them like the sound of their own voice too much, as if they have some sort of 'super knowledge' as they either have a phd (theres a few post grads here too) or are further on than me... so already i think i have some sort idea whether i would get on with them or not :/

it does sound maybe like i am over analysing things, but even the idea of talking to my supervisor seems like i would be 'upsetting the apple cart' so to speak.....

i just feel so far i am not getting the phd experience i expected and im defo not as happy as i was when i started :/

any advice would be most appreciated :)

Hi Basictonal,

I'm about 3 months into my first year myself and can say that I have received very little guidance from my supervisors. That said, if I really need advice, I do feel that I can approach them. From the way it looks to me, I've been trusted with my own research at this stage, and they'll just want me to check in every now and then to make sure no disasters are afoot. So no, your situation doesn't sound unusual. Though I'm in arts and humanities and am not sure how things work in other disciplines. Talk to your supervisor if you're worried - what seems huge to you might be something they can think through easily.

As far as your PhD group goes...difficult as it may be, I'd just bite the bullet and ask when they're going to lunch next time. People get so wrapped up in themselves - we all do - that it's easy not to think about how others might perceive situations. I'm sure they'd be happy to have you. No way of knowing whether you'll get on with them until you spend a bit more time with them. PhD study can be so, so isolating and I would strongly suggest that it's healthy to figure in a bit of social interaction with your postgrad peers if you can. And if you decide you'd rather not go for lunch with them in future, no harm done. :-) Take care.

yeh, i think ill need to make the move and invite myself to lunch, rather than waiting for them to 'detect' i want to go.... at least then i will have made the effort to see if i can get along with them a bit better, otherwise ill never know......

As others have said, PhDs can be isolating and it's not just for you, but the other students as well. The other students have known each other for a while now and have become their own isolated little group. So you will have to make an effort to join in and I believe it is important that you do so, just to have a social outlet within the people you work with.

Just ask one of them if they still go for lunch on Fridays and what time and where. Then show up and gradually join in conversation and listen.

If money is an issue then bring your own lunch (I do). Unless they go to a relative posh restaurant (very uncommon around unis) then the restaurant generally don't mind if someone brings a packed lunch if the majority of the group is paying.

Regarding the supervisor, keep in mind that other students may be a priority to him for various reasons including where they are up to in their PhD. For example, some might be due to submit papers and thesis and whatnot and require his attention at that time. If you think you need more time with him, then you do have to ask and try to set a meeting time. At this stage you should know clearly what your project is and what experiments you need to get done for the rest of your first year. Depending on your project it could differ but I think that's a good guide.