Is she the only one? ---No, certainly NOT! it's not at all easy to be in a situation as yours, but trust me, i myself have gone through it, am STILL going through. i have seen others going through it. so, if i am not alone, how can you be? there are times, when, even if you work hard, the result does not show and you feel frustrated and helpless. it happens especially in the beginning - at a rudimentary phase when you are new to a place (environment), culture or a society. cultural shock, peer pressure and home-sickness apart, there is always this huge pressure to perform against all odds, that keep you in your toes. even if you have gone past the initial hiccups, i suspect you are getting into the core of your area of study, and that's again when things may look stiff, overwhelming and scary. you feel like you are alienated, you may question at times "am i good for nothing?" 1] the KEY is, don't let yourself bogged down by the situation. believe me, it will go away slowly with time, it definitely will! try to talk about it with your friends and colleagues, it helps! don't get isolated and let yourself succumbed by the pressure. don't feel low because of it. i remember, during my school days and even in some of the classes i took in my graduate school, students don't ask questions. they prefer to remain quiet when the materials being taught are hard and incospicuous, NOT because they understand everything, but they feel apprehensive by the thoughts of being ashamed, if the questions they ask turn out to be stupid ! So A will think that B understood everything and B will think the opposite. but the matter of fact is, both haven't understood anything! :P 2] use time for your maximum benefit. do some work outs in your free time to release the tension. don't keep thinking about it. you are a brave lady, i guess! at least by some of the threads that you have opened in the past, i can say that :P. you just need to wait for the right time- it will definitely change in your favor! just believe in yourself, focus on your studies and always remember, you are NOT alone. there are many who have gone through these. i have seen it myself. i was one of those. i have battled, lost, again battled and won. i am STILL battling :-). this is life, jyoti! even the great John Nash went through a rough patch during his Phd. he was being called a paranoid, he actually was! people used to call him stupid. he was a gone case. he himself admitted that he was mortified, petrified and stupefied by his fellow students. BUT HE DID NOT GIVE UP!!!!!! that's the key to success!!!!! So just hang in there, don't you ever give up! 1] don't be impulsive and give in or give up easily. gather strength and build on to it. hard times will make you stronger and a better person in life. if everything comes by easily to you, what's the point of it? you won't be able to cherish it-- you tend to take them for granted and that's when you don't feel satisfied by your achievments! if you work hard to earn it against all odds, satisfaction is guaranteed! this is how life is. :-) All the best! LooTe PS I am sorry for a long post, thought it's an excellent one and may be useful to many :-)