Nowhere To Hide
A candidate told me they were afraid because they had nowhere to hide in the viva. Examiners would have spent lots of time reading their thesis and so the candidate worried they would be unable to evade questions on the...
Daily viva help for PhDs
A candidate told me they were afraid because they had nowhere to hide in the viva. Examiners would have spent lots of time reading their thesis and so the candidate worried they would be unable to evade questions on the...
When I did my PhD there was very little help available for viva candidates. Now there is help everywhere. There are scores of advice articles for the viva and probably hundreds of blog posts about personal experiences – you can...
I’ve been a huge fan of Tim Ferriss for the best part of a decade. His books and podcast have been a great inspiration to me (as they are to many people). Recently, I put aside the time to annotate...
Before the viva, your examiners will have an idea of the outcome. They’ve read your thesis; they have thought about it; they have experience. They will have an outcome in mind before the viva based on what they think of...
PhD student or postgraduate researcher? Examiner or academic? Expert or experienced? Prepared or ready? The labels we use make a difference. They’re a part of the story we tell ourselves about a situation. Some labels help and others don’t. What...
…not perfect. Today I’m delivering my 218th Viva Survivor workshop. I still get a little nervous, but only a little. I’m more likely to be anxious about travel arrangements than talking or presenting. I make a point of giving the...
Your examiners have to reach a decision, but it may be that they don’t agree on everything. It could be that one likes a particular idea or experiment or conclusion in your thesis and the other doesn’t. It may be...
What does viva success look like to you? What’s the outcome that will make you happy? If you set it as getting no corrections, or finishing within a certain time limit there may be nothing you could do to be...
Is it better to have an easy viva or a hard viva? I got this question at one of my final Viva Survivor sessions before my summer break. I have lots of thoughts… First, the answer really depends on what...
Viva prep doesn’t have to be frantic, rushed or pressurised. Being relaxed doesn’t mean being lazy, or doing a bad job. It means being ready, taking your time, knowing what you need to do and when you need to do...