A C172 PILOT WENT IMC IN A VFR PATTERN AND DIVERTED TO A NEARBY FIELD BECAUSE A PANICKED STUDENT PLT WAS ALSO IN PATTERN.

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PILOT WAS FLYING VFR TO REMAIN IN THE PATTERN FOR PRACTICE TAKE OFFS AND LNDGS. UPON TKOF I THOUGHT THE CEILING WAS APPROPRIATE FOR PATTERN WORK. UPON CLIMB OUT I NOTICED MY ALTIMETER INDICATING 6300 FT AT WHICH TIME I ENTERED INTO THE CLOUDS. I HAD ALREADY COMMITTED THE AIRPLANE INTO THE PATTERN ENTERING MY CROSSWIND LEG. UPON REALIZING I HAD VIOLATED VFR RULES FOR CLOUD CLRNC; I DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH A CLIMB OUT OF THE CLOUDS. UPON CLRING CLOUDS I RADIOED THE FBO'S FRONT DESK ON 122.80 AND ASKED FOR ADVICE. THEY TOLD ME NOT TO RETURN TO THE PATTERN AS THE CEILING BECAME WORSE WITH 200 FT. THEY ADVISED ME TO VECTOR TO ZZZ1. I OBTAINED A SPECIAL PERMISSION TO LAND FOR A FULL STOP WITH ZZZ1 APCH. I LANDED SAFELY AT ZZZ1 AND A QUALIFIED IFR PILOT CAME AND FLEW ME BACK TO DOUBLE ZZZ. I MADE A MISTAKE; AND IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I WAS DEBRIEFED BY THE MGR AT FBO; AFTER WHICH I APOLOGIZED. AGAIN; I MADE THE WRONG DECISION TO FLY AND NEXT TIME I WILL CONTACT WX TO GET OFFICIAL CEILING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID THAT HE WAS DIRECTED NOT TO REENTER THE TFC PATTERN AFTER HE WENT IMC BECAUSE A STUDENT PILOT IN AN ACFT IMMEDIATELY BEHIND HIM WAS PANICKING AND ATC CONSEQUENTLY WANTED THE RPTR OUT OF THE PATTERN. HE LANDED AT A NEARBY ARPT AND WAS ADVISED OF A CORRECT FUTURE ACTION ON HIS PART.