Just Leave Everything To Me
I’ve mentioned before on the blog that I arrive early for my Viva Survivor sessions to get everything set up. I put my brain on the right frequency for Viva Survivor by listening to a few tracks from the soundtrack...
Daily viva help for PhDs
I’ve mentioned before on the blog that I arrive early for my Viva Survivor sessions to get everything set up. I put my brain on the right frequency for Viva Survivor by listening to a few tracks from the soundtrack...
Perfect is impossible. You’ve never make your thesis perfect. You’ll never be the perfect researcher. You’ll never be perfectly ready for your viva. And all of that’s fine. The standard you need is to be good, not perfect. Aim for...
Some thoughts… You can’t expect any questions to be easy in the viva. Some could be simple for you to answer, however, but only because of what you know about your research, your discipline and your talent as a researcher....
Lots of candidates tell me they want a short, quick viva, all done as soon as possible. I can understand where they might be coming from, but don’t think that particular wish helps… Generally, the PhD isn’t a quick process....
I like the tool GROW – Goal, Reality, Options, Will – as a tool for coaching and development. It is a nice framework for exploring future plans, but helpful for reflection too. The four prompts could really resonate with looking...
While your examiners will want to explore your research with you, they also want to explore your capabilities as a researcher. To prepare for your viva you need to explore your research, but also invest time in reflecting on your...
You’ll get plenty of questions in your viva, but it could be a good time to ask your examiners some questions too. But don’t ask: “So, how did I do?” right at the start. “Can we start again?” if you...
Whatever kind of research you do, there are four threads that will run through the final year of your PhD. In those last twelve months you will have to: Finish your research: no more reading, no more experiments, no more...
To date I’ve written five “Top Ten Top Fives” posts! These are preparation icebreakers useful for getting started with valuable viva preparation. I have ideas to do more in the future, but for today here are links to those first...
A question from a nervous candidate, “What should I wear for the viva? I want to make the right first impression on my examiners!” Except that’s not the first impression. Your examiners’ first impression is your thesis. They get their...