Quitting PhD after almost 2 years

kozi

I am currently doing a Ph.D. in engineering since late 2014 with a funded scholarship. I have already done a Masters before starting my Ph.D. and the excellent results of my taught masters motivated me to strive further and go into research and do a Ph.D. But things did not work out as expected. Initially, how the project was represented to me by my supervisors, it did not turn out like that at all. The initial notion that I was given was that it is a huge big research team and I am going to be part of an ongoing project. What it turned out was that it was indeed a lab with quite a few students and almost all working under the same supervisor but none working on what I was supposed or directed to start working on. So, I am on my own almost from the very beginning. Technically I have two supervisors Dr. X and Dr Y. Dr. X is just for namesake and he is really not much aware about my area of work. It is more of a formality I believe since the other one Dr Y with whom I interact on a regular basis was still not a faculty in our department when I joined. In the first year after a very brief literature review period, I was asked to start working on something that cannot be the actual focus of my thesis. But can just be a small extension of my work. But Dr. Y was hell bent on getting those things done since it would benefit them for some forthcoming project. Anyways I put in my best effort and tried to move on. However, as time passed on I seemed to lack direction. There seemed to be no schedule or thought behind my research project from my supervisor's end. I was pushed for doing things that can not be the crux of my thesis but can be used for a new collaboration project they just started. I am supposed to submit my transfer report before the end of year 2 but they have postponed that as well. Instead, I am being made to work on newer things that are taking up a lot of time and effort and distracting me completely from focussing on my own research thesis.

I have been under a terrible mental condition since last few months where I hate going to the lab every morning I woke up. I hate my life here (I am not from Ireland) and I can no longer handle the constant panic attacks and the guilty feeling that is eating me up always. I feel I am worthless and I have just wasted almost 2 years doing nothing constructive. So I am finally considering about discontinuing my Ph.D. I already have a taught Masters but, since I did put in a lot of hard work into it, I want to get some accreditation for my time. So I would like to know is it possible to leave with a MSc. research degree. I know that I will have to submit a thesis and I am ok with that. Is there any other technicalities involved or is there any particular time frame beyond which you won't get a MSc. research degree (I will complete two years soon).


Looking forward to your suggestions particularly if anyone has been in a similar situation. How to get information about this process without directly going and talking with my supervisors?

Sorry for such a long post. I am just so frustrated right now.

sullivlo

Hi Kozi,

Firstly, sorry to hear your difficulties. Having been there with supervisor issues, I can empathise with your situation.

I know you probably don't want to mention the university in which you're based, but let me give you an overview of where I currently work, and how similar situations have been dealt with.

Before any of that though - your mental wellbeing is paramount. I would urge you to make an appointment with the college counsellors and the student learning department.

Okay, so in my institution we have an academic who is in charge of postgraduate learning. They're the point of contact for PhD students to submit their transfer report, get forms for thesis submission signed, and a point of contact for dispute resolution. Students can discuss things confidentially with the academic, who can then advise them on what options are available to them.

Are there any other faculty members that you would feel comfortable discussing this issue with? In my experience, the academics that sit on your transfer report committee tend to be able to offer constructive advice in terms of direction of the project, and your supervisor is obliged to take their comments on board.

Is there a postdoc in your lab that you could chat to?

In terms of taking a research masters... Those cases are few and far between. It's rare, and since the "transfer" is now more of a progress report, you're already registered as a PhD student. Also, just to be aware, just because you have two years of labwork behind you, that doesn't necessarily meant that you have enough for an M.Sc. - something to bare in mind, as a friend of mine dropped out in similar circumstances to you and wasn't allowed the option of the M.Sc.

Feel free to PM if you wish to discuss more privately.

kozi

Thanks for your post on my thread. I have a talked with a postdoc who is working under the same supervisor as mine. But she is leaving next month so not of much help. However, can you tell me what can be the technicalities behind getting a research masters? I mean you need substantial work but not at the PhD level. Why was your friend not allowed one ?

sullivlo wrote: »

Hi Kozi,

Firstly, sorry to hear your difficulties. Having been there with supervisor issues, I can empathise with your situation.

I know you probably don't want to mention the university in which you're based, but let me give you an overview of where I currently work, and how similar situations have been dealt with.

Before any of that though - your mental wellbeing is paramount. I would urge you to make an appointment with the college counsellors and the student learning department.

Okay, so in my institution we have an academic who is in charge of postgraduate learning. They're the point of contact for PhD students to submit their transfer report, get forms for thesis submission signed, and a point of contact for dispute resolution. Students can discuss things confidentially with the academic, who can then advise them on what options are available to them.

Are there any other faculty members that you would feel comfortable discussing this issue with? In my experience, the academics that sit on your transfer report committee tend to be able to offer constructive advice in terms of direction of the project, and your supervisor is obliged to take their comments on board.

Is there a postdoc in your lab that you could chat to?

In terms of taking a research masters... Those cases are few and far between. It's rare, and since the "transfer" is now more of a progress report, you're already registered as a PhD student. Also, just to be aware, just because you have two years of labwork behind you, that doesn't necessarily meant that you have enough for an M.Sc. - something to bare in mind, as a friend of mine dropped out in similar circumstances to you and wasn't allowed the option of the M.Sc.

Feel free to PM if you wish to discuss more privately.

sullivlo

kozi wrote: »

Thanks for your post on my thread. I have a talked with a postdoc who is working under the same supervisor as mine. But she is leaving next month so not of much help. However, can you tell me what can be the technicalities behind getting a research masters? I mean you need substantial work but not at the PhD level. Why was your friend not allowed one ?

In your OP you said this:

I was pushed for doing things that can not be the crux of my thesis but can be used for a new collaboration project they just started. I am supposed to submit my transfer report before the end of year 2 but they have postponed that as well. Instead, I am being made to work on newer things that are taking up a lot of time and effort and distracting me completely from focussing on my own research thesis.

I could be reading into something that isn't there but if you have no set project and no set body of work or not a complete chapter, they won't award a masters. I know it's a harsh thing, but unless they deem the work worthy of a masters, they won't award it.

My friend wasn't awarded one because, quite simply, the work that he had produced was not of a good enough standard for a masters thesis.