NON INST RATED C172 PLT FLIES IFR AND EXECUTES AN INST APCH TO DEST ARPT AFTER ENCOUNTERING DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS.

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FORECASTS AND CONDITIONS WERE INDICATING 10000 FT CEILINGS AND 10 MI OF VISIBILITY. ABOUT 50 MI FROM MY DEST THE CEILING AND VISIBILITY WERE DECREASING. A DSCNT TO 2500 FT MSL WAS REQUIRED TO KEEP IN MVFR CONDITIONS; AND THE CONDITIONS WERE CONTINUING TO DETERIORATE QUICKLY DESPITE CURRENT ASOS/ATIS/AWOS RPTS IN THE AREA OF 10000 FT OR CLR SKIES AND 10 MI VISIBILITY. RECEIVING RADAR ADVISORIES FROM NEW YORK; I HEARD ANOTHER VFR ACFT HAVE SIMILAR ISSUES AND REQUEST AN IMMEDIATE IFR CLRNC. AFTER ATTEMPTING A 180 DEG TURN AND FINDING NO ESCAPE I FOLLOWED SUIT AND REQUESTED AN IFR CLRNC AS WELL; RECEIVED ONE IN LESS THAN 1 MIN AND COMPLETED THE VOR-A APCH AT MY DEST. CONDITIONS WERE 0/0 IN PATCHY AREAS WITH NO MORE THAN 2 MI OF VISIBILITY AND 1500 FT CEILINGS IN GENERAL. WHILE I COULD HAVE MAINTAINED VFR OCCASIONALLY; I FELT IT WAS SAFER TO FILE. I AM CURRENTLY WORKING ON MY INST RATING; THUS I AM NOT YET RATED; AND HAVE ABOUT 20 YRS ACTUAL PLUS SIMULATED INST TIME. LOOKING AT THE WX IN HINDSIGHT; THE CONDITIONS WERE NOT FORECAST AND APPEARED TO ORIGINATE UNEXPECTEDLY. I SHOULD HAVE LANDED AT THE NEAREST ARPT WHEN I COULD NO LONGER SAFELY MAINTAIN 2000 FT AGL AND VISIBILITY BEGAN TO DEGRADE. MY PERFORMANCE WAS HINDERED BY FLYING FROM THE R SEAT; AS A STUDENT PLT (A PARTNER IN THE ACFT) WAS IN THE L.