It depends on the needs of the project, how productive a worker you are, and the pressure put on you by your supervisor.

Most people I knew when I was PhDing, were 9-5 in their first year. but it is hard to say what exactly is the right amount of time for any individual person.

My supervisor told me that I should of be working 12 hours a day at least... I hated my project so that was never going to happen

I completely agree with jinio about the paper trail thing.... It can be quite important if you want to take things further.

If things come to a head, it is always going to be your word against your supervisor's.

But if you send an email to your supervisor expressing your concerns and requesting a meeting to address them, then you have a record on email saying you were not happy with the working relationship and you have made an effort to do something about it.

I agree it could well be time to leave now ( if you cant resolve your differences ) if you leave now; you have plenty of time to apply to other courses( phds, masters or jobs)

I considered leaving after six months but waited till after my first year review which was kind of a mistake because now I have to wait till october till my masters starts, otherwise I could of signed up for a masters last october if i had left last april

This seems to be the harsh reality in a lot of science and engineering PhDs. A lot of money is generally involved and supervisors may stake their reputations on PhD projects. As a first year PhD student and the person charged with carrying out your supervisors bidding, you are bottom of the food chain and shit rolls down the ranks!!! so you are the one who takes the blame when it all goes tits up (

You are a novice in your feild which means if you do run into difficulties your supervisor should make some reasonable attempt to assist you in getting back on track rather than making offensive remarks.

You dont have to put up with this kind of s%&t so bring it to the attention of your department if it continues.

good luck

kind of like smilodon. the profession i am getting myself into is is almost certainly going to require a PhD. i know i wont have any problem getting a studentship, its just a case of getting the right project, good supervisor and satisfying myself that I have the motivation/apptitude to complete one.

like Olivia says. there is no reason why you cant do a PhD in the future. its not the end of the world if you leave know. it is easier said than done. but you need to make the decision that is best for you. not for your parents or anyone else.

i think you should know in your heart whether this feels right or not. almost everyboby i know doing a PhD, has periods of self doubt, depression, but its a little bit different if you are always feeling down and depressed. consider if you really want to feel like this for another few years.

i think the best thing to do is take an extended break from your PhD. a few months off, maybe even a year. if still feel the same way then maybe you should consider leaving, if not maybe you should continue

sm888,
You have a very narrow minded way of looking at things. Arn't you a silly sod!!!

I have no regrets about leaving my PhD. I hated my topic. My supervisor was a d=*ckhead. Ive washed my hands of it and I am now very happy.It is the best decision I ever made.

I am looking forward to the future.I have already passed up two PhD offers since leaving, I have my place on a masters course at one on the worlds oldest and most prestigious universities in a feild I know I will enjoy working in so do I sound like a person living in regret? I dont think so

I gather from your comments that you are missing the point of this site in the first place and you obviously havent listened to anything I or Olivia have said on the topic.

I post on this forum because I think that maybe I have something useful to contribute

sm88,
Why are you hanging around this site if you are just going to make unhelpful remarks and try to ostracize people who are having a hard time with their PhDs? Are you trying to make yourself feel better by putting other people down? I thought the whole point of this website was to provide a peer support network for PhD students? people who have dropped out of there PhD are in the best position to offer advice on the subject matter.

everyone tastes failure ( as you call it) at some point in their lives. The important part is what you take away or learn from it. I wouldnt exactly call dropping out of a PhD failure. people quit jobs all the time because they dont like them or are just better suited to another proffession. nobody cares. why should a PhD be any different?

the next time you taste failure, remember the silly little post you have put on this thread,

enjoy your studies. smart ass

lost in oz,

I think it is important to remember that you did not undertake this PhD to appease your parents. well im assuming that is the case. Im assumming you undertook this PhD for yourself, because you enjoy the topic and want to work in that feild? if your parents helped fund your phd, I can see why they might be cheesed off, otherwise, I see no reason why your parents should be annoyed.

I would think that if your parents really understand what you are going through then they should support you no matter what you do.

I felt rather down after dropping out of my PhD and my parents were nothing but supportive, as your parents should be. There is no great shame in dropping out. Many people do it and many people go on to be successful careers afterwardafterwards

have you tried getting it published in another journal?

i agree that you should leave sooner rather than later. i considered dropping out after six months in my PhD but i waited till my first year review which was a mistake... I could of saved myself a lot of heartache if i had dropped out earlier. if you leave now you will have plenty of time to consider other options: jobs, masters or other PhDs.
believe you me. people will not look down on you because you have dropped out. it is a lot more common than you think for people to drop out. I think the reason I was so afraid of dropping out was because I thought people would look down on me

but nothing could be further from the truth. since I have dropped out, I have been offered another PhD position and places on a few masters courses so its all good

if you are truely unhappy. LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a feeling certain people at my old uni have found me out. so my old supervisor probably knows everything ive ever said about him on this site.

well f*%k him!!!

I would of thought there could potentially be a conflict of interest if this ex-supervisor is still on the review panel and I am basing this on the assumption that this person is an ex-supervisor due to some kind of break down in the working relationship?

This supervisor sounds like the " I had a hard time when I was a grad student " so ill make sure you will too....

This mind sound a little bit harsh, but ive heard of far worse supervisor stories on this forum.

My supervisor advocated the distance learning approach to PhD education i.e don't come near me and I wont come near you. He didnt ask to review or see one word I had written in the first year of my PhD

I suffices to say I am no longer a PhD student.

If this perosn is not giving you appropriate feedback. do something about it!!! be proactive

I have been offered a place on this course. It's a relatively new course. If anyone on this forum has undertaken, or is currently on this course I would appreciate any thoughts: good,bad or otherwise on the course

cheers