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They matter. But the little things that evade memory or fast recall probably don’t matter as much as you think they do. You’re primed to notice the little things you forget more than you notice all of the things that...
Daily viva help for PhDs
They matter. But the little things that evade memory or fast recall probably don’t matter as much as you think they do. You’re primed to notice the little things you forget more than you notice all of the things that...
Luck or random chance don’t dictate the outcome of the viva. It’s not down to the examiners’ whims. It’s not an exam about “some” book and research. That book and research didn’t just appear. You didn’t just wake up to...
It’s tempting to build up the viva as an epic once-in-a-lifetime event. Make-or-break, do-or-die, all-or-nothing… What about the 1000+ once-in-a-lifetime PhD days that lead up to the viva?
Earlier this year I shared my directed thinking tool, VIVA, which is really useful for analysing chapters of your thesis in preparation for the viva. My general suggestion for VIVA is to take a sheet of paper and divide it...
You’re in the viva to pass it. You did the work, you built the ideas, you put it all together in your thesis. You are where you are meant to be.
Imagine your thesis is an iceberg. You can see it floating in a sea of knowledge. Big and beautiful, possibly dangerous! A hazard for other ideas, crashing and crushing, but approached carefully you can study it. Someone can think about...
An examiner is an examiner. It doesn’t matter if they’re your internal or external, physically close or based overseas; it doesn’t matter if they’re near to your research area or far away. Treat them the same for your preparations. They...
How long will the viva be? How long should it be? If it’s long – or short – is that bad? There are norms – two to three hours is quite common – but you can’t know in advance. It...
How serious do you need to be about your viva? It’s an exam. You might think of it as the exam, but it’s still a test. People prepare for tests. They don’t, if they’re serious about them, just shrug their...
A potent strain of viva-anxiety virus breeds in the mind and says: Faster, faster, faster! Question. Answer. Question. Answer! Quest-ANSWER! What if you take too long? What if it doesn’t come quickly enough? You “should” know it, right? RIGHT?! Your...