As the title says I withdrew on Friday from a masters in Public Health and social change. I graduated with a 1st class honours in July this year and the masters seemed like the next step - but I didn't like the group or the teaching, it felt just like the undergraduate course so I opted out.

I did look into the PhD route over the summer and I even got so far as to find my main supervisor but then I choose the easy route of the masters course. Bad move!

I need advice and lots of it!

1) Can you register at anytime for a PhD? or I
2) If I self funded for the first year how likely would I be to get funding for years 2/3?
3) Have I made a really stupid move?! Does a masters really equip you more for PhD study?

Thanks

iamlittlemiss, I am in a different field, so I am not sure that my opinion worth much. However, in my Uni there are two yearly intake for PhDs, in October and January. Getting funding is extremely competitive, but there is a good possibility to get it in your 2nd year, when your project is more defined and you can show some results. I just got the AHRC and I have just started the 2nd year. I don't think that you made a stupid move, but it was a bit rushed. You cannot understand the potential of a course from the first three weeks. I personally could not have done what I am doing now without the training I got through the Masters. It was hard work, sometimes boring, but extremely valuable. I am not aware of your personal situation/ previous training, so I cannot give recommendations. Did your prospective supervisor suggest anything in this respect? I think that it would have been a good idea to discuss this issue with him/her first.

I, too, am not in your field, but I am an Arts and Humanities PhD. I did a BA, MA and finally proceeded onto a PhD this year. I wanted to skip the MA, but I'm so glad I didn't. Without an MA the AHRC won't consider an application for PhD funding. The MA was very useful to me and I learnt a real lot. It's a shame you gave up on your MA, because although it appeared just like your BA, you will have done research training and a dissertation which are highly valuable foundations for a PhD and when applying for funding.

Thanks for the replies. A January intake - that sounds promising.
I appreciate the comments about the Masters. I was self-funding for the masters route and I would rather put the money into long term study - I had to withdraw on Friday or be charged.

The tutors from my undergraduate course are teaching the masters, the research module is the same as the undergrad (I have no idea why this should be the case) and I did a 15,000 piece of research in my undergraduate (the masters dissertation is still 15 thou) The lecturer has stated that I will not learn anything from the lectures and I felt like I was paying for very little. The others in the group have come from nursing backgrounds and I was astounded by the lack of knowledge. The lecturer said he has to pitch for the lowest level of knowledge in the group and that he was sorry - ultimately this has made me want to change direction. I need to be challenged to stay interested and I am sure at a different location a masters would be taught differently but I need to stay in this area as I have commitments.

PhD is something to avoid. Destroys your life. Destroys your soul. Destroys your family. Destroys your optimism. Destroys you. Leave it alone.