Thankyou for your reply. Yeah i do agree with you that i could be cutting of my nose to spite my face, that is partly what i was worried about! But as you correctly mentioned, I do feel a large chunk of the problem is the high demands placed on me by my supervisor. But what can i do about this? A student has to work to the requirements of their supervisor, right? And if i feel like i cannot reach the high expectations, the only way i can see is to jump ship?! He has passed all his students in the past, so i have no doubt that his pushing will result in a good phd, but im not quite sure if i can handle it for the next 2 years!!

Hi all,

After never particularly wanting to do a phd, i eventually ended up doing one as I was offered it in a subject that i was already working in and find fascinating. A year in i am totally fed up and wondering what to do! My boss is a nightmare, totally demanding, and not making my working day enjoyable at all, and although i still find the subject interesting, I find the amount expected of me tough to live up to, and get incredibly frustrated when things dont work (as they generally dont!) So i am considering cutting my losses and converting to MPhil. Has anyone else done this? Are you happy with your decision, or wish you'd stuck it out? I dont want an academic career at all, so wondering if it is worth all the pain?!

Any advice much appreciated!