I was interested in how people deal with uncertainty during a PhD. I am in month 6, which has passed far too quickly (did I actually learn anaything more than how academia works?). For 9-5, 5 days a week I find that it is difficult to take in very much, often in a couple of days I feel confused and uncertain about what I am doing. I have areas of uncertainty, (1) I don't really know the relevance of my study, except that the object of study is not well defined in the literature. (2) Is there really any point to it in the long run? (3)How do you know wither what you are doing is up to standard? Or wither you miss the point all together?

I struggle since the subject is not quite what interests me, yet someone I have drifted, possibly under the influence of my supervisors. Who often contradict themselves from week to week, like they have forgotten what we were discussing previously.

Appologies for a long post.

Regards,

Everyconfused

hi yikes

i went through the same thing during my first phd attempt, except i let things continue like this for two years. It's not a nice feeling.

You say you are not interested in the topic- is that because you don't know where your work is heading or do you genuinely have no interest in it?

If it's the latter, then studying for a phd is gonna be hell- there needs to be interest.

If you are demoralised- i suggest two things
1. Speak to your supervisors- write down everything you want to say, how you feel, and provide them with a summary of all the stuff you have done so far so they can judge how well you are doing (as students, we tend to fear the worst)

2. Read books about phds (How to get a Phd by Pugh and Working for a Doctorate by verma are good). You need to ask yourself 'what is the problem i am trying to address?' and try to work out ideas from that. Remember in first year, most students are just trying to figure out what they want to research, so many students struggle in first year- you are not alone.

I was interested in it, though I seem to have hit a wall of non-interest and am confused about simple things. My feelings of not being up to the challenge have become central to my sitting and doing nothing for long periods of time - this is frustrating. I am normally quite pro-active and enthusiastic - though am totally un-confident.

I think it is because I dont know where it is heading, though I should understand that this is looking too far ahead (I would imagine), I have vague ideas of what I am trying to do, but they cause me some problems due to lack of real feedback.

Hi Yikes

Do you need a bit of a break? It sounds like you may have hit a wall where you can't see the wood for the trees. Maybe a couple of days away to calm your mind a bit? I am always always uncertain, I find it the hardest thing about my PhD a lot of the time. Keep perspective and confidence and don't give up!

I know exactly what you mean. I have been in my PhD for about 8 months and I too have no interest what so ever in my project. I really have no motivation and now I just treat it like a 9-5 job. My PhD is experimental and my supervisor see's me every day and is always telling me that I am doing things wrong even though he told me to do it that way in the first place. My project just seems to be going in nowhere. All in all I feel my confidence in my ability draining away from me everyday. Like you I just drifted into this PhD because of lack of offers for PhD's that I wanted to do.
Anyway I have decided to hang on in until I can get an MPhil which should be between 12 -18 month and then I intend to quit after that.
I just want you to know your not alone in the way you feel.

Hello Yikes,
I also felt like you during my entire time during my phd!!
not only during year 1 but all through my years of my phd, i felt lost, and felt like one day it would get found out, that i knew nothing about my phd, and i was just faking it and would be arrested for impersonating a phd student!

i avoided going to any conference, because i felt i didnt know anything and didnt deserve to go and was completely intimidated, i hated doing presentation. and felt intimidated to ask questions to my sups becuase sometimes i would get berated for not understanding something or knowing something, so i quickly learned not to ask qs or being very fearful of asking qs, and trying to figure things out on my own. which obviously took longer.

but then i guess thats what doing a phd is about, figuring things out on your own. and then when i would get an idea , it would usually be rebuffed, and then eventually they would come around to it!

i always felt that what am i doing? is it worth it, and what if i get no data and find nothing of value. and what if after all this effort and years, i still fail.

i still feel all those things. but now faced with either complete failure or trying to write a thesis on what i have done, i'm opting with the "i will try my best" and see what happens.

but you are most definately not alone, i felt exactly how you felt all through my phd.

For me, I know when I dont understand something, or am fearful of something or lost, I dont feel motivated to do anything about it.

sounds like your suffering from a mental block, because of fear of not knowing whether what your doing is good enough for a phd, and you want reassurance from your supervisor which you're not getting.

sounds like you do have an idea of what you would like to do, but you're not getting a good feedback from your supervisor.

may i suggest some tactics?

okay maybe try the following things.

1. do some freewriting. for 15minutes. (time this). and write everything you can think of related to your phd. what you think, what you feel about it, your ideas, what you would like, what worries you, what you need input about. anything.

2. read over what you have written, and then start to highlight certain things that really spring up.

3. start to do some background reading, in the literature, to stuff that is related to your phd idea. to get some inspiration.

4. write a rough draft of a report, this will prepare you, for when you arrange a meeting with your sup.

5. ask your supervisor for a meeting, and voice your concerns. you will have prepared for this meeting, so it will look like you're not just saying "im lost" but you have actively tried to make a clear idea of what your phd is and where it is going.

6. most importantly. ask yourself what it is that DOES interest you in your phd.

I know you mentioned that theres not much in the literture that is related to your phd. but sometimes you can find inspiration from reading other works that is only loosely connected.

good luck, and let us know how you get along.

what is your phd subject in?

PureHellDayafterday, I know how you must be feeling. i also felt like that , my phd is in biology, and i would do expt day in and day out. and after 5 years still had no substantial data for my phd. it got so bad, that i just wanted to fail my mphil upgrade on purpose so i wouldnt have to continue to do my phd. i was almost wishing my examiner would fail me during my mphil viva, but she didnt. so i had to carry on doing my phd.

i wish you the best, and i hope you do manage to get through it and get your Mphil and then move onto something that really does interest you. i know what its like to do experiments in something that either you know is not going anywhere or doesnt interest you