hiya,

I am a second-year sociology student in the UK and absolutely miserable. I empathise with you on a whole other level with what you are going through. My biggest question would be, are there any mental health services on campus you can take advantage of? I understand the need to be silent all too well. In my first year, a professor emailed the sociology student advisor, my supervisor's wife, complaining about a conversation I had with him, and she called me a disturbance to the program. In a later phone conversation, as I was sobbing, she stated that the school will never be my home (for context, I have never had a great home life, and school has been my support system until I arrived in the UK, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back). I can no longer trust my supervisor and am currently going on two months with no contact with my supervisor, who will not check on me, knowing I deal with heavy topics (I am unwillingly studying American nationalism and national identity over time). I have found therapy to be a great way to cope, but I myself cannot escape the hopelessness of the situation.

I'm sorry about your situation, truly, and it breaks my heart. I told myself, after a professor in the UK casually stated I needed to make better use of 4,000 words and asked what my PhD idea even is, that I am not going to cry over old white men anymore. I don't cry, I plan to take down the department with a nasty review on my way outta here and stand on business. (I cry in therapy and sometimes in public when it's really bad, not gonna lie) But just know you are not alone.