Scary
Werewolves can be taken out with silver bullets. Vampires fear garlic and the sun. To kill a zombie you go for the brain. Scary things all have weak spots. Scared of the viva? What scares you? What can you do...
October 2017
Examiners Are
Too many viva fears are rooted in the mistaken belief that examiners are somehow the enemy. I’ve written before about what examiners aren’t, but what are they? Examiners Are Human: if they think you’re nervous, they’ll respond kindly. They know...
Either Way
If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right. (Henry Ford probably said something like this, but he probably heard something like it from someone else; see here) A reflection for today: if your viva is...
A Tiny Insurance Policy
A few weeks after I submitted my thesis, in spring 2008, I got a bill from my institution. It was a request for fees as my funding had finished. The request was very formal, pay now, and there was no...
Keep Doing The Work
The work is what gets you to submission. The work is important, even if you’re sick of it. The work matters. The work is a significant and original contribution to your field. The work didn’t just come from nowhere. You...
Onions
Peel an onion layer back carefully and there’s more underneath. Again and again, not infinitely but quite a way. It takes patience and effort to go down layer by layer. The same’s true with your research. One can see the...
Expect The Unexpected
Hindsight is wonderful. Before my viva I worried about whether or not I would forget things in the moment; would I be able to explain this process or that proof, things I knew really well… …what if, what if, what...
Record Your Mock Viva
I came across this tip while listening back to episodes of the podcast: if you have a mock viva, record it so that you can review it later. Listen to check whether or not you paused to think about answers....
Highly Unlikely
Twice recently I’ve been asked, “Is it possible to submit a perfect thesis but then fail your viva?” I’ve written about the impossibility of the perfect thesis in the past, so let’s modify it slightly: can you fail if your...
Interrogation/Inquisition
Candidates joke about these terms to describe the viva, but I think the joke masks real fears. They worry that examiners will come in and speak harshly, treat them or their thesis with a lack of respect. They worry that...