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You do the research and write the thesis, but it doesn’t come from nowhere. You have to be good to do it, and you have to grow as you go along. You have to do the work, but you’re surrounded...
Daily viva help for PhDs
You do the research and write the thesis, but it doesn’t come from nowhere. You have to be good to do it, and you have to grow as you go along. You have to do the work, but you’re surrounded...
Typically there’s six weeks to three months between submission and the viva. You’re bound to be busy with lots of things, but there’s plenty of time to prepare well for the viva – and plenty of time to feel a...
I recently watched the Tony Robbins documentary I Am Not Your Guru on Netflix. I’d really recommend it; it’s uncomfortable at times, funny at others, but it’s an interesting look at an interesting person and it gets you thinking. At...
Hey John, how was your viva? “It was fine.” Hi Kate, how was your viva? “Fine, thanks.” Tom, how did you feel about your viva? “Fine.” I asked lots of friends about their vivas while I was a PhD student....
In maths the symbol i is used to denote the square-root of -1. It’s an imaginary number, an unreal but valuable concept. They’re useful, but most people go through life without being troubled by them or what they mean. I...
After submission, read your thesis long enough and you’ll eventually spot a typo. Go actively looking for them and you’ll get a decent list of things that you can correct after the viva. …but is that really a good use...
I have that phrase about “a particular set of skills” from the movie Taken in my mind a lot when I start workshops. Not for the attitude, because I don’t want PhD candidates to see the viva as a fight...
Long-term readers will know that I’m a fan of acronyms as valuable tools for encapsulating useful ideas. You can see some examples here, here and here of how I think they can be applied to help with the viva. KISS...
What word do you use as a model or metaphor for the viva? Interrogation, examination, discussion, defence, trial, ordeal, conversation, unpredictable, unknown, chat… These aren’t neutral. Whatever words you use steer how you prepare for and approach the viva. You...
A Common Viva Problem: thinking you have to know and give a definitive answer to every question an examiner asks in the viva. There may be many cases where this is impossible! While there are lots of questions a candidate...