[Continued] Don't give up on the idea of Nursing. If its stuck around with you as long as you say it has, then its probably what will make you happy. Quit the PhD, find a part time job or something to support yourself, and go talk to some people in the nursing profession. Send a few emails to your local hospital and ask to shadow a nurse or something- i know from personal experience that more hospitals will help you out. Go to university open days for nursing, found out what the course is like. Also, find out what qualifications/experiences are needed, see if you have them, and if you don't, go and get them. Then apply for next years entry. I say this because i think it may be best for your health and state of mind (and not just because of your depression) if you took a step away from everything and worked on things steadily, rather than rushing straight into a new degree.

I wish you the best of luck and i hope you do follow your dreams. Everything may not be as bad as you think.

Like everyone else here, i also think, if this PhD is making you this miserable, then your best solution is to get out.

I was in a situation like you not so long ago (although with a different kind of degree, not a PhD) and one of the biggest worries, like you, was disappointing my family and friends. I think i stuck around in my degree way to long for the amount of time that i knew i wasn't happy in it, simply to not upset my family by dropping out.

It got to the point when i found it hard to get out of bed and everything seemed useless. Then, one day, i become very upset and when to visit my mum and told her how i couldn't take it anymore and told her that i didn't want to disappoint anyone and how i couldn't see a way out. In the end, my family and friends were a lot more understanding than i thought they'd be, because they could see how much being in a situation like that was eating at me.

What i'm trying to say is, while you think you're disappointing your family, your family wouldn't be your family if they would rather see you miserable in a PhD, then following your dreams and actually being happy. Just sit them down and explain to them bluntly what is going on and how difficult you're finding everything- they may be more supportive than you think. But what it comes down to more than anything else is YOU. You have to realise that this PhD isn't what you want from life, and maybe Nursing is. Quitting something is not bad if you're doing it for the right reasons- which in your case is that you gave it a go, and found out its not right for you. There is nothing wrong with that.

I'm currently finishing up an MSc degree, and i have to say that i agree that it is unfair in a lot cases. I worked hard for a year to save up money for half my tuition fee (which is almost double yours) before i could even think of applying. Now i am 10 months into my 1 year full MSc, and financially, it has been very tough. I'm working two part time jobs on the side because I have to pay for accomodation (living with parents wasn't an option for me) and my living expenses. I've pretty much sacrificed my social life for this degree.

I do know a lot of people that have had their parents pay their tuition fees, rent and give them allowances- so yes, its very unfair- but what can you do? Its how the system works, and those of us without rich parents or some kind of trust fund end up bearing the brunt. I've long accepted it and now really just hope my MSc is worth it. Its definitely been a big help with job applications and it does give you a good edge over other candidates- I hope to start applying for a PhD in september when i have more time. Hopefully this will help!

Live at home, do the course part time and work in the mean time- or save up for a while before going in full time. There are options and while it sucks, its just something you're going to have to do, and deal with.

I'm in exactly the same predictament as you, solo, and am very worried about umemployment also. I've had a PhD interview where they told me i was a good PhD canidate and the interview was fine, but i was less experienced than other candidates. Fair enough. I'm currently looking for anything in which i can actually work in a lab and get some more research experience (my field is biological sciences) but its proving difficult to find. I'm now even looking for some temporary voluntary placements just to fill the umemployment gap and to add to my experience as i look for related jobs and PhDs.

Its really hellish at the moment, so i know what you're going through.

Had my interview today, if anyone remembers me.I think it was....okay? Good? Don't really have anything to compare it to.

How long is it until you normally hear back from them?

Thanks guys! I feel better and more confident. I won't let it bother me- i just didn't know PhD start dates weren't rigidly set in stone, so thats good to know!

Good luck! I hope it works out for you! Let us know when you find out:)

Hi everyone,

Me again, and I feel a little stressed out. I have an interview for a PhD this Wednesday that I very much want, but only just noticed an discrepancy- My MSc is due to finish this September, and the PhD is set to start this September too! The thing is, at first I thought the supervisors were okay with this, but then i realised- the CV i have given them says i finish my MSc in August rather than September. Literally, just a one number mistake from a '9' to an '8' (as in August being -/08/14) and it was genuinely a mistake.

Now I'm worried it will look like I've actually lied about the dates and it will effect my interview if they ask about it- what should I do? Also, will my degree ending in September mean that I can't be considered for a degree starting in September (there has been no agree on the actual start date in September)?

If you're self-funded, then I agree with TreeOfLife. Its a lot easier for self-funded students, and they probably won't ask as many questions. After a year or two, that one year won't seem as big a deal as before but yup, maybe for now just hide it by extending the date of what you did before it etc.

But, like TreeOfLife said, have a long good think about what went wrong in your Mphil, because if you want to do well in this one, you need to know what went wrong before, so it won't happen again.