RobertoV
New member
First, thank you for reading. It helps just to share this, since no one in my life fully understands what I’m going through.
I’m in my final PhD year, and my project is falling apart. Part of the problem is the flawed foundation: my assigned topic was based on a shaky premise, so I wasted months chasing results that don’t exist. My supervisor notes the lack of data, but honestly, how could there be much? Even the scraps I have don’t fit the bigger picture. Those first six months? A total loss.
The bigger issue? Me. I’m drowning—not just in imposter syndrome, but in genuine gaps. Reading papers feels futile because I struggle to retain details, critique methods, or connect ideas. Once, I missed a crucial link between a published study and my own work because I didn’t realize they overlapped. Someone else had to point it out. Moments like that make me question whether I belong here at all.
Right now, I just want to survive. Publishing isn’t a goal; finishing is. The workload is crushing, especially after pivoting my project right before lockdown. If I earn this PhD, it’ll feel like mercy, not merit.
Does anyone else relate?
I’m in my final PhD year, and my project is falling apart. Part of the problem is the flawed foundation: my assigned topic was based on a shaky premise, so I wasted months chasing results that don’t exist. My supervisor notes the lack of data, but honestly, how could there be much? Even the scraps I have don’t fit the bigger picture. Those first six months? A total loss.
The bigger issue? Me. I’m drowning—not just in imposter syndrome, but in genuine gaps. Reading papers feels futile because I struggle to retain details, critique methods, or connect ideas. Once, I missed a crucial link between a published study and my own work because I didn’t realize they overlapped. Someone else had to point it out. Moments like that make me question whether I belong here at all.
Right now, I just want to survive. Publishing isn’t a goal; finishing is. The workload is crushing, especially after pivoting my project right before lockdown. If I earn this PhD, it’ll feel like mercy, not merit.
Does anyone else relate?
