Advice for setting with structure

Hi I am looking for any advice on what to do. I am a first year grad student (first semester) and am having second thoughts. I have always been a great student and even got accepted into a top 10 program but I am having trouble on figuring out where I fit settings wise. I am shy and an overthinker (lots of anxiety). I don’t like using the word shy as I just take a second to warm up to people. I have learned that I do better and feel more confident in structured scenarios where I know what to do and have an outline. My supervisor said that I need to be more confident but I sincerely have no idea what I am doing. I lack initiative and knowing what to say or do. I do better when I am able to see someone else complete a task which helps me understand how to do it and also really appreciate feedback as it helps me feel more comfortable. I feel like having initiative is a big part of this job and I’m scared of not being cut out for this especially with how hard I’ve worked to be here. I am not sure if my personality fits. I need to figure out what setting I want to do my 2 placements in. My courses were geared towards adult only but I will be taking some pediatric next year to try and broaden my knowledge. I plan on shadowing more over winter break but any advice is greatly appreciated. I am still figuring out what settings to shadow and what all to ask. (I am also struggling a bit as I moved away from family for the first time and am a minority in my program). (I am ND and am hyper aware of myself which is where I get stuck on not knowing what to say or do so I feel like a setting with a team aspect or having a supervisor would be beneficial)

Posted Dec 1, 2025, 4:11 AM UTC

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