Thank you for your answers guys. I think I'll stick to my uni and find ways to deal with the present problems. After all, they do have solutions if I want to find them. And Mathcomp, I'm not in a group of 8 uni and I chose my uni because I like my supervisors during my honours years and the application process with this uni was made very easy for me being a previous student.

Thanks again :)

Hello everyone,

I'm an Australian doing a PhD in an Australian university in the social sciences (sociology). I am 5 months in. I love my supervisor and she's very supportive although she is also focused in her career and is quite busy.

Nevertheless, I am a bit exhausted from my PhD because of my work conditions. The department and school are unorganized, lazy and treat PhD students poorly. Construction is about to happen and all PhDs will be lumped together in a room with no file cabinets or even book shelves. I feel very isolated and I'm starting to feel depressed. In sum, conditions are not good and might not improve much - especially the work culture.

Anyhow, you get the point. I hate my conditions and the only thing that is likely to improve is that I *might* be given a better office. So, in your experience, is it worth changing universities? How is my supervisor and university going to take this?

Also, I was awarded the APA (Au Postgraduate Award) which stays with me anywhere I go in Australia as long as the accepting institutions has the funds to continue the scholarship. So money should be no problem.

Many thanks,

:)