it takes no skill whatsoever to quit a PhD. And the argument concerning the new setting is very weak. How do you know conditions will be better with a new supervisor (btw I'm repeating myself).

It's too easy to blame the department for everything.

yeah and it is pretty easy to patronise and put down people without really understanding their circumstances, which you often illustrate perfectly, ULUG.

You are right. I might encounter same problems. However, please think almost four monhts has elapsed since I started the PhD, and I was unhappy in the lab. However, I was in some stage I had a chance to change it. I took a new challenge. Because I have a chance with this challenge. Cheers my friend.

I'm just being honest and telling you how it is instead of saying: "Well done for quitting, that was the best decision of your life, bla bla bla".

If you want to patch each other's shoulder's for talking crap, then have fun...I will not stop expressing my honest opinion.

4 months?

After four months I was ready to quit and after 12 months even more so. But I didn't. And all of sudden, after 14 months things suddenly went really well and almost all problems disappeared.

If I would have given up earlier I would have never noticed this!

I am glad to hear that you are happy with your PhD. Since we hawe two ways, I took an opposite way. I hope I will be as happy as you are.

You still don't get my point. What I'm trying to tell you is: even if things look nasty at a certain point in time, this is part of the process. It's not easy to make the distinction between negative factors which cannot be solved and those that will disappear after a certain period of time almost automatically. You cannot avoid certain problems, otherwise everybody and not just 15,000 would get a PhD per year in the UK.

Anyway, good luck and don't give up after 4 months in your new PhD..

I got your point, man. The thing is you don't get my point. I am telling you is that you don't know my circumtances. You can not approach to every case with a same method. But thanks for your consideration and time.

In that case you should have told the people on this forum more about your circumstances. If you come on here and ask for advice but give us almost no information, what do you expect?

not my problem

Just to summarise the thread: you came on the forum although you already made your decision you asked for advice whether or not to quit (which means you were just attention seeking) and then you tried to justify your decision in a lame way. It's just a useless discussion.


...and thanks for wasting my time.

To echo the replies in an earlier thread.....the posts on this forum are getting really nasty. I would never ask for advice on here for fear of the replies I may get. Be nice to each other people!!!

Please look at the begining of my message. You can clearly see what I am asking the people for an advice, and I do not think people, who want to give an advice on my request, require more information in my case.

What I wrote is below.....

Just wondering if anyone can give me an advice on how I can tell my supervisor " I am going to leave the lab" I want to leave the lab with no harm to anoyboy. But I don't want to blame anyone. Thanks a lot

Cheers

oh, my mistake. You asked for advice on the actual procedure of how to tell your supervisor to quit.

Let me ask you a question: what advice would you have expected on that question. Something like: "Sing him a song which indirectly implies that your up for new endeavour?"

or

"Call his wife and leave a message"

???

ULUG- Are there no circumstances where you think quiting a PhD are acceptable? Let me spell it out for you: A PHD IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. If people are having serious trouble they are entitled to quit. Are you such a dictator that quiting isnt regarded as acceptable? Look at people who are industry etc, if they want to quit their job they do it and look for another one. Are you suggesting they should all stick at a job regardless of issues because quiting displays weakness? Remember, life is about learning from mistakes and some people embark on a PhD without fully researching what it entails.