Hi, I am so lost right now... I got accepted for a PhD about a year ago and have for the past 1,5 year been working full-time on a research project which is closely related to my topic. I have now gotten funding to do my PhD full-time and I am about to start on that. My boss from the research project is supposed to be my daily supervisor and unfortunately, she is the worst boss/supervisor I have ever come across. She is never around, and if she is around, she makes me feel like a complete failure. During the project that I was working on, we agreed that I would send her drafts at the end of every week so she would comment and keep track of the progress. I did so but she never commented on anything, not until after a year, when she decided that everything was wrong and bad. Even though I do exactly what she tells me to do, the next day she will have changed her mind and it is all wrong again. When she comments, I cannot understand anything. It is like she doesn't actually read the text. I have spoken to others about this and I am not the only one... She will also speak and make fun of your work in front of others... I have never met another person like this, I usually want to cry when I leave her office :$

I have now worked with research for 1,5 years and I feel more lost than ever. She has convinced me that I cannot do anything good. My main supervisor is very good and encouraging but very busy so I do not have that much access to him. I only have a few days of work left on the project before starting full-time on the PhD but I can't get myself to do anything. I have no motivation whatsoever and all I can think about is quitting, just leaving it behind.

My boyfriend thinks it would be such a waste to quit, I have this great opportunity and I have gotten funding and all... But I just can't see the light in the tunnel. The funding is also tied to me having the daily supervisor I have so I cannot change supervisor..

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Hi, I am also starting my PhD now, for real. Was accepted about a year ago but due to full time research work on a project closely related to my topic and after getting a full time grant to finish my PhD, I will now be doing nothing else than working on my PhD:)

However, I am already terrified. My daily supervisor is a monster and she has already convinced me that I cannot write anything of worth so I guess I could be more inspired than I am :(

Good luck!