I've waited a year for this to start, I got my funding and everything and now i'm actually doing it I hate it and feel desperately, hopelessly miserable. I don't think I can do this for 3 years! Is this normal?

No! Dont do anything rash! Why do you hate it?

Very normal to feel this way I think. I love my subject and never thought about quitting but I did feel a bit low at first, kept getting lost, felt overwhelmed, felt lonely and isolated. I would give it a bit of time to settle in.

I hated it the first week, thought I didn't fit in and was never going to be able to think like the academics. I think it takes a good few months to really enjoy it as to begin with you just feel confused! I'm having fun now only because I've put the fact that I don't understand a single thing I'm doing to the back of my head!

Paul, why do you hate it?

Thanks all so much. I guess I'm finding the loneliness, isolation, confusion, sense of having SO much to read/learn/master and the feeling that I don't know anything, really hard. I'm a really sociable, gregarious person and this solitary research life is cutting me to the core, really. But I take your advice and will hang in there, at least a bit longer. Problem is, I've felt like this since day 1. Okay, maybe day 3...

At my uni there are graduate courses, stuff like "getting hte most out of your PhD" or "managing time effectively" that they recommend first year students go to. As well as getting you away from your reading if it's getting a bit much they are good to meet people and realise everyone feels the same. If your uni doesn't have these it might have a postgrad society or something similar. Also look for seminars in your area, we are encouraged to go to 2 a week and they are good to see how other people went about their research and are never that in depth so it wont be over your head. Hope some of this helps

Yes, thanks Katq, it does help, at least to know that how I am feeling isn't unusual. Cheers.

Okay, so far you've had happy stories - ('it'll be okay', 'give it some time'). Now for my tale of woe (I'm almost at the writing up stage). As an undergraduate, I did a summer of work experience in a research lab at my current uni. I hated it. None of my experiments worked, none of the PhD students in the lab talked to me, and some of them were downright nasty. Even though I'm totally not a social person, I found it very difficult to spend every 9-5 essentially alone
Then came my final undergrad year - it was good, having something to aim for, working hard for it, achieving, feeling proud. I had even found a niche of experimental work that I liked - I thought "I'll do a PhD"!!
But practically since day one of my PhD I've been miserable - it is SOO lonely. Until a year ago I was in a lab with just one other student.

I spent the first 1 1/2 years hoping that things would get better, but they didn't. Since then I've just been riding it out 'til the end. I think I'm still here because I do want to succeed with my experiments, but I don't think experiments are enough, even when they're going well.
To conclude - things probably won't get better unless YOU make them better, unless YOU go out and find some friends - you really will need them. If there's no-one in your lab, make yourself an honorary member of some other lab. I haven't figured out how to do this hence I remain in isolation (but you say you're a sociable person, so maybe you WILL be okay).
I wish I'd read the signs in that work experience summer - I didn't realise that what I was getting, what I hated so much, was a taster of how my PhD would be.
Oh, katq is right, the interdisciplinary "postgraduate training courses" run by the uni are definitely good for meeting people, but these only started in my final year.

I think if you want to quit you should quit, but you won't know if you want to quit after just a few weeks. Does that make sense? I would at least give it until the year upgrade, a year out of your life is nothing and then you might still be able to walk away with an MPhil.

Hi,

I just started my phd too, but I really like it and I think the main reason for that is because I have join 3 different sports clubs at the uni and so have three groups of friends at the uni who I can go and meet up with for lunch/ go out with etc. Also for me doing lots in my free time means that it keeps the stress levels down. If you're not into sport then why not try some of the societies.

Hope things get better for you whether you keep going or not

I feel like quiting too...I keep looking for a suitable job, but until I find one, I won't quit

After 4 weeks, I have just done 3 days field work & it felt good to have a change of scenery, and has made me more focused on my research.

Just wanted to say thanks to you all, especially Bibi's very balanced and encouraging comment. You're totally right - there are bigger things in life than this PhD and if I do still hate it by mid/end Nov, it'll be bye bye birdy for me.

Thanks for your insights and wisdom!