I was wondering if anyone left or knows anyone who left their PhD at the end of the first year and obtained an MPhil.

I ask because it seems like an attractive idea at the moment and at least I would leave with a qualification.

i don't - i heard of people who decided to leave after the first year but it took them a full second year to write up their MPhil dissertation. don't underestimate what is required for the MPhil!

No, but I have to say I'm in utter shock at the moment. A fellow PhD student in the department dropped out over Christmas, and the reason everyone's so surprised is because he was so enthusiastic about his project.

i was hoping to bail out with an Mphil but dropped out with nothing. an Mphil is not much less work than a Phd. they usually take two years. it seems to me that if someone is going to stick it out for that long they might as well do the PhD

I think you have to register as an MPhil (F/T) to get one at the end of one year. It used to be that universities will award MPhils if the PhD thesis is not up to standard. I understand most universities have stopped this practise as it is unfair for those who signed up for MPhil. Also, MPhil takes as much work as PhDs; its just that they expect at least one publication rather than 2 out of an MPhil. Hope it clears your queries

In the UK neither an MPhil or a PhD requires any publications in order to pass. Also in the UK it is common practice to be registered for an MPhil immediately and then be transferred/upgraded to PhD registration after 12-18months if the supervisory team is happy with the student's progress.

I don't know anyone who has dropped out and got an MPhil, anyone who was thinking about it was told how much work an MPhil is and they decided to stick it out.

xeno - the person who dropped out was probably putting a brave face on it when they said they enjoyed their project. I was very much like that before I dropped out, so it came as a shock to my ex-colleagues too. Little did they know the months of stress and sleepless nights I'd endured before reaching my decision.

I think I will probably stay the course and try and get a PhD. I went out over the weekend and chatted to some friends, and also explored the area where I live, generally doing something different than thinking about my project.
Reading the posts on this site indicates that there will be periods where I am not feeling very confident about my project and other times when I am enjoying it.
I think the moral of this, for anybody else, is to just stick with it. It will be worth it in the end!.

At what cost if you're really not happy? Depression, stress, turning to alcohol!? For some people it just isn't worth it.

I think most people think about quitting at some point, it just depends on what the reasons are and how easily the can be overcome (if it is a lack of confidence/faith in your own ability to complete, then this maybe is easier to overcome than say wider issues with staff etc).
However, for some people not believing they'll finish is enough to make them quit. Its hard to sustain the workload unless you are fully committed and can at some stage see the end. (I mean this is a non-judgemental way) some people deal with that pressure differently, and universities should recognise that and offer support.