Before & After

Before your viva…

• …ask graduate friends about their experiences.
• …make a list of what you might expect.
• …tell your friends and family what you need from them.

After your viva…

• …share your experience with others to help them on their PhD journeys.
• …see how your experience matched your expectations (or not!).
• …thank your friends and family for their support.

And remember that, as important as it is, the viva – the “during” bit, in-between these two phases of your life – is a lot, lot shorter than the before or the after. Focus on it, be ready for it – but you’ll spend far more time getting ready before for your viva than being in it, and far longer after your viva as a PhD.