pongo

Thanks so much for the replies! Hopefully I'll find a good topic.

Hello, I am going to an archive for the first time. Do any of you have advice on how to do archival research? I think most people go and take pictures and then review the material later. I'd love to hear about organizing material, taking notes at the archive and then at home while reading through the material, if there is a recommended digital organizing program, etc. I am hoping that this archive leads me to a research topic (it has to!). Thank you! p

Thank you all. I appreciate your encouraging words. It looks like there is a grad student support group so I'm going to talk to the counseling center on Mon and ask about joining. I hope your work is going well too.

I'm a month into my program (1st year PhD in the humanities) and I don't think I'm going to make it. I'm terribly underprepared and feel like my advisor made a big mistake admitting me. I know impostor syndrome is common among first year students, but I can't help but feel that I truly am an impostor. I've thought about quitting every week, which is terrifying because I'm older and have a lot of work experience and hated it. I was sure academia was what I wanted but now I wonder if I was attracted to the fantasy. I don't know what else I would do. The program is great, I have tremendous respect for my advisor, but I can't handle the workload. I feel I'm perpetually behind my classmates both in terms of a knowledge base and in classwork. I know that a PhD in more about stamina than anything else and I just don't know if I have it in me. I can barely handle the workload now and it's about to get much harder with deadlines approaching for assignments. I don't know how to fit in reading for papers when I'm not getting through all of the readings for classes. I think I want this, but I don't know if I can handle the lifestyle and I'm not even teaching yet! (that begins next year...) Sorry to be a downer and thanks for any advice.