You Know Enough
Before your viva remember:
You don’t know everything.
You can’t know everything.
You’re not expected to know everything.
But you know a lot. You know a lot more than when you started.
You know enough.
Month: August 2019
7 Tips For Completing Corrections
Most candidates will be asked to complete corrections after the viva.
Most candidates will have other things to do which could make doing corrections feel like a tricky task.
Being busy won’t excuse you from corrections; here are some ideas to help you get them done.
- Check the conditions of various viva outcomes in advance. How much time is given for different corrections? Factor that into your plans.
- Ask for a list of what your examiners expect after your viva is done. Nearly all examiners give this anyway; if you have any doubts, ask for a list of required amendments.
- Ask for clarification of what is expected. Ask your examiners for details of what might satisfy their requests (how much detail about a reference, say, or what wording they think is unclear).
- Check your current plans. If you have a month after your viva to complete all of your corrections, when could you schedule time to work?
- Check who needs to approve your corrections. Is it just to the satisfaction of your internal, or for your external as well? And what is the effective deadline?
- Make a quick plan. What are you going to do and when are you going to do it? Create a clear checklist so you can mark tasks off when they are completed.
- DO THE WORK! Once it is done then you’ll be over 99% finished with your PhD.
It is also useful to check what you need to do after your thesis is corrected. Some institutions have short periods between when corrections are approved and the final thesis submission. Be sure of the timeline so you are ready to meet your institution’s requirements.
Corrections are an opportunity to make your thesis as good as it can possibly be. After your viva, go do that. Get it done, then go on to the next great thing you’ll do with your life.
Off The Topic
It’s not impossible that a question or comment could seem irrelevant to you. It’s not impossible you could start responding to a question but go off topic from the discussion. However it happens, if you experience any confusion because you need to talk about something unexpected:
Stop.
Pause.
Think.
Think about what’s being asked or discussed. Then decide how you can best proceed.
In the case of off-topic questions from examiners, you might really believe a question is irrelevant. Totally off-topic, completely unimportant. You could say that…
…but will that help? It might be better to explore the topic and try to respond as well as you can, to begin with. You could still say you don’t think it’s all that important afterwards, but perhaps give it a little time first.
Fun Viva Prep
Just because the viva is serious, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your preparations.
- Buy some nice stationery to write notes on.
- Use bright colours to highlight your thesis.
- Have coffee with friends while you discuss your work.
- Find interesting questions to answer about your thesis.
- Consider unusual ways to summarise your research.
- Host a prep party – a seminar with added cake!
Make your preparations fun and you probably make them easier to spend time on.
The Flatpack Viva
Thank you for taking the time to assemble your viva!
Be familiar with the instructions before you begin assembly: regulations, general expectations, thoughts on useful preparations, advice from friends, advice from the internet.
The viva requires a minimum of three to put together.
You will need your own tools.
Ensure all necessary components – research, thesis, candidate, examiners – are in good condition before you start.
As the volume of instructions about your viva can be great, perhaps consider summarising them on a single sheet of paper with a pen.
(paper and pen are not provided)
Note: the length of your finished viva will be different from pre-existing vivas due to natural variability of materials!
Your viva is simple to put together. Just follow the instructions.
Nervous Is Normal
I haven’t met many PhD graduates or future viva candidates who weren’t at least a little nervous. Nervous is very common; if you feel it before your viva then you’re in a pretty normal state.
But feeling nervous isn’t usually comfortable.
We can distinguish between good nerves and bad nerves, the former before a happy event, the latter before something unwanted. In both cases there’s probably a degree of importance with the event. Nervousness and importance are correlated, two factors braided together in life’s tapestry. What if… something unexpected happens? Or what will happen? What if something goes wrong?
So nervous is normal for the viva. Nervous is sort-of expected given the nature of the viva.
Nervous doesn’t have to be all you feel though. You can feel excited: the viva is one of the last big things to do before the end of your PhD. You can feel knowledgeable: you know your work and your thesis. You can feel talented: you must be capable to get this far.
You can feel confident you are in the right place, ready to act.
Nervous is normal for the viva. Many, many more emotions could be normal too.
Defending Your Work
In the viva it means supporting your thesis.
It means restating what you did, or replying to a question about a related aspect. It could be listening to another point of view and reconciling it with your work. It could be clearing up a mistaken belief that your examiner holds. It could be making your work clearer because it wasn’t clear in your thesis. It could be all of these things and other things besides.
Defending your work does not mean being defensive. Defensive is not listening. Defensive is thinking that you are right, no matter what. Defensive won’t help.
You could be angry or upset with a comment or question, you can feel what you feel – but you’ll serve your thesis and your viva better by defending your work, rather than by being defensive.
Listen to the question or comment. Check it against what you think and feel. Think about your response. Check it for emotion – you don’t need to be a robot, but be careful you’re not just reacting to a negative feeling.
Defend, not defensive.
The Last Thing
One of my favourite questions to ask final year PhD researchers is “What’s the biggest challenge in the way of you finishing?”
It’s good to focus. It’s good, even if it is something scary, to get it out in the open. Once it is acknowledged, it can be worked on. Once you’ve said, “This is the biggest, most important thing I still have to do,” then you can start to plan what actions need to be taken. Maybe you won’t work on it every day, but you know what your biggest priority is.
It could also be a good way to frame your viva preparation.
Maybe, “What is the most important thing I need to do before the viva?”
Or, “What is the biggest gap in my preparation?”
Or, maybe try asking yourself, “What’s the best thing I can do to continue my success?”
“Do It My Way”
Be cautious when someone tells you there’s only one way to get ready for the viva.
I think there are some really good principles in effective preparation. Read your thesis, annotate it, find opportunities to practise, and so on – but there are many ways you could do all of those things.
Some people will want a mock viva (and some candidates will feel they need one), while others will prefer simply talking with friends. I think it’s better for candidates to take their time to read their thesis, but because of preferences or other priorities that won’t be an option for some people.
Ask others about their experiences, ask for advice, but think twice when someone says, “Do it my way.” It will probably be well-intentioned, but it might not work for you. Think about how it fits your thesis, your preferences and the options you have at that time.
And be generous with your advice when sharing it, but understanding to know that what worked for you might not be appropriate for your friend.
The Memorisation Memorandum
You don’t need to memorise your thesis, you’re not expected to memorise your research, and most viva candidates couldn’t do that even if they wanted to.
Your examiners expect you to do the work, be familiar with the literature you’ve cited and be a capable researcher. That’s enough.