A Good End
I’m a little wistful lately, remembering the final days of my PhD. Not my viva, not corrections, but those last few days when I was packing things up. It is late-summer 2008. My office-mates are either on holiday or have...
Daily viva help for PhDs
I’m a little wistful lately, remembering the final days of my PhD. Not my viva, not corrections, but those last few days when I was packing things up. It is late-summer 2008. My office-mates are either on holiday or have...
Every now and then my daughter goes through periods of worrying about spider shadows in her room at night: not spiders, but things that look like the shadows of spiders in the dim half-light of her nightlight. We’ve explained they’re...
There are big things that need to be done to get ready for the viva, but lots of small things too. Small things build up. Small gains in preparation. Small tasks that set up larger activity. If you’ve done everything...
All the things you didn’t do. All the things you couldn’t do. All the ideas you didn’t follow. All the questions you couldn’t answer. All the opportunities you had to turn down. You have to let them go when you...
Your final few days of viva preparations might involve a lot of work. If your time has been pressured because of other responsibilities you might feel like you have no other choice. Your final few days of getting ready could...
You’re not the first person to feel nervous, excited, unprepared or whatever you feel before your viva. Ask around, find out how others coped. You’re not the only person in your viva who might feel nervous, wanting to do a...
If you were accepted on to a PhD programme… …and if you did the work over a long period of time, overcoming difficulties along the way… …and if you made a significant, original contribution… …and if you kept going even...
It’s helpful to be kind to yourself and generous with timing for your viva prep. Getting ready doesn’t have to take long, but it won’t be the only thing you have going on. When it’s time to plan your prep,...
There are general reasons why people pass their viva. There is a structure to vivas, most candidates pass, the viva can be prepared for – all reasons that can help someone feel confident. As useful as these are, they’re not as...
The most common question people ask me about Viva Survivors is, “How do you write and publish a daily blog?!” Here’s the short version: I write everything myself: no out-sourcing, no guest-posts. I write posts weeks in advance, not on...