I came to England for PhD with high spirits. But all is gone now. Here supervisors generally dont have thier own research projects; but tell students to find "knowledge gaps" at their own. In USA, situation is entirely different. Your supervisor is in fact working on a research project and you assist him.

if you were genuinely into getting a real PhD then you'd be more than excited to find gaps in your study. i know this may sound discouraging, but hey, be positive. you can do it. look up to yourself, not your supervisor. going to the states will only mean that you spend 5 extra years minimum on what you've already started. cheer up!

It is minimumum 3 years in UK....do you mean, in US it takes at least 5 years compared to 3 in UK. I already have a MS; so it shoul dbe 3 in US as well...what do u say?

I am exactly in the same boat. I came from the states in search of a PhD. I finally got a research topic. You will definitely get there. "extensive search and readings"...
I definitely prefer US PhD. hey mine was for four years on part time studies .Good luck

I dont know what kind of PhD you were doing but in science subjects all supervisors in the UK DO have thier own research interests and projects and the PhD student is taken on to help the with thier work.

its five years in the US i thought. Does anyone know whether a masters degree cuts down on the time? That would be great. reply asap coz i might just make a few applications :)