I play on republic side, yes our server is dominated by the empire PvP'ers...
You can NOT expect to just hit level 50 and by the end of the week to be in FULL end game pvp gear... it just doesn't work like that.
Realistically you should be aiming to get one piece of gear every 1-2 days... its taken me just over a month and a little bit to get full Battlemaster gear.
I play pvp because I enjoy that aspect of the game, competing against other players... if you are willing to accept defeat, you have already lost.
You must remember that your opponents are trying to do the exact same as you, they want to win they want to beat you back, so just make sure you want to beat them more!
There's no point in just leaving warzones early because you are going to get a bad reputation as an elitist jerk, you'll find that both factions will respect you and learn your name if you keep topping your faction side.
The more you play, regardless of winning / loosing, will ultimately be the deciding factor in how quickly you gear up.
First post on forums so be nice to me, just my personal opinion.
Good luck, have fun!