Solving The Prep Problem
I’ve loved maths since I was a child and first realised the wonder that 4 times 6 was the same as 6 times 4. My love sent me on a journey that lead to a PhD in pure maths. A lot...
Daily viva help for PhDs
I’ve loved maths since I was a child and first realised the wonder that 4 times 6 was the same as 6 times 4. My love sent me on a journey that lead to a PhD in pure maths. A lot...
Clever. Skilled. Professional. Prepared. Looking for a good outcome. All at the viva for good reasons. It’s worth remembering that you and your examiners have a lot in common.
That’s how long I’ve been writing this blog. Longer than I spent on my PhD! I started with the following short post in 2017: I’ve got a few questions for you: Did you do the work? Did you show up...
You need to have made a significant, original contribution with your research. Defining the standard for that is hard, but we can rule some things out. The standard is not… …producing two papers during your PhD. …having at least six...
If you’ve had your viva, and a friend or colleague has theirs coming soon, ask these four words first, before you start to offer your story, your opinion or your advice. See what support someone needs. Get a sense of...
When I was a teenager, me and a few friends liked superheroes. We bought random American comic books from this one newsagent in our home town that stocked them. This was the mid-1990s. No real internet, no way to connect...
Pause. Breathe. Think. Every question is an opportunity, a prompt for you to share something. No tricks or traps, just invitations to add something to the discussion. Pause. Breathe. Think. There’s time in the viva. Enough for you to use...
“How do you eat an elephant?” One bite at a time… It’s an old joke or proverb, depending on how you look at it, but there’s certainly wisdom as well as eye-rolling. You could never have done your PhD in...
Nervous and confident aren’t polar opposites. If you feel nervous about something – like, say, your viva – then you’re recognising it’s important. Nervous isn’t the same as being anxious or being worried, although it might not be comfortable. Nervous...
I’m still not going to reveal my secret bread recipe, but I’ll share some of the little things I’ve learned that help me bake a good loaf: Blending different bread flours gives a better flavour than just having one type....