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Month: August 2022

Nathan

Make A Space

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Gather the things you need to get ready.

Your thesis. A notebook or papers. Pens and assorted stationery. A loose page with a sketch of the coming weeks.

Decide where to do your prep. Find a place and make your space.

This is where you get ready. This is where the magic happens. Your little zone where your thesis is read and gets better. Where you think and write. Where you check and confirm. Where you ready yourself for a mock and for the real thing.

As you’re reading this post you might be imagining somewhere in particular to do your viva prep. Where are you? Would that space really work for you? And if not there, where? Where can you make a good space to concentrate, relax, think and prepare?

Nathan

Analyse & Annotate

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A helpful part of viva preparation is making your thesis ready for the viva. Then, throughout your discussions with your examiners you have a silent partner, able to support how you think and what you say.

You can write in the margins, stick Post-it Notes in, highlight and underline and do anything to annotate the book and make it better.

How can you make your thesis easier to navigate?

How can you make things easier to find?

How can you make things easier to see at a glance?

Those are the key questions that help you make a well-annotated thesis. You have to analyse what you have and annotate to make it better for you in the viva. Easier navigation could be achieved with Post-it Notes or highlighter tabs. A brief note at the start of each chapter could make things easier to find. Consistent highlighting practice might help you find key words and ideas at a glance.

Analyse and annotate. Find a system that works for you. Make a list, do the work and then benefit.

Nathan

What You Wish For

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Be careful what you wish for your viva, because you have no direct control of what will happen. Wishing for this question or that direction of conversation, for a certain length or a particular comment is a distraction.

Be careful what you wish for, because you can draw your attention away from the work you’ve done, the preparations you’ve made and the confidence you’re building.

Learn about general viva expectations. Check the regulations. Ask your friends and colleagues about their experiences. Then get back to getting ready.

Nathan

The Room Was Hot

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For all the prep I did, it never occurred to me to think about where my viva was going to be.

It was early June, but a warm week. The seminar room, which I was very familiar with, was on the side of the maths building that got the sun first thing in the morning.

When we started at 10am it was already warm. Two hours later and it was hot.

It was another two hours before we finished.

By then it was almost unbearable!

 

The location for your viva might be a small thing to consider next to your thesis contribution and all the preparation you might do, but it is still something to think about. You will know where it is in advance and can then think about what you need to do in order to be at your best in that room.

What could you do? What could you take? How might you dress? What do you need to do to help that space be a good one for you to work in?

Once you know the location, think about what – if anything – you need to do in response. It’s a small thing, but thinking about it can really help with your viva.

Nathan

You Got This!

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Your viva is coming up and you got this!

Whatever questions, comments or criticisms your examiners have, you got this!

Whatever pressures you faced throughout your PhD, you got this!

However the pandemic impacted your work, you got this!

Whatever challenges you face in your prep, you got this!

However you feel – nervous or excited, anxious or eager – you got this!

Because if you don’t, who does?

Nathan

Beneath The Surface

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Beneath the surface of the viva is a conversation. For all the importance it has, it’s a discussion and one you can prepare for.

Beneath the surface of your thesis is a contribution. Across thousands of words you tell the story of what you did, what it means and why it matters.

Beneath the surface of you, the candidate, is a real human being. Not perfect, but certainly capable, knowledgeable and experienced.

Beneath the surface of your nervousness, assuming you feel it, is a highly capable researcher who can share their contribution through a conversation. We wrap layers of importance and association around what a viva is, what a thesis must have and what being a good candidate means.

Beneath the surface of all of this are simple thoughts that help.

Nathan

Examiner Selection

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You don’t get to choose your examiners. You might be asked for your opinion but ultimately, your supervisors will decide. They have the responsibility of nominating the two people who will examiner your thesis and convene your viva.

You don’t get to choose – but you might be able to steer the selection. You can put names forward, and it’s worth doing so. If your supervisors already have a good idea then ask them to share that with you. Ask them to explain why these choices are good ones for you; not to dissuade them but to build your confidence that they are the best choices for your viva.

You don’t get to choose. When your examiners are selected you can always find out more about them. You can be certain they are good candidates – in the same way that you are a good candidate. You can learn about them to get a sense of their perspective.

You don’t get to choose but that doesn’t have a big impact on how ready you will be to talk with them on viva day.

Nathan

Describing Viva Prep

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Viva preparation is not a production line. It doesn’t follow anything as neat as moving from one task to the next, finishing one component and moving neatly on to the next. Prep does not follow a flow diagram: it’s not reading followed by notes, checking papers and then a mock viva at the end.

Viva prep is a series of workouts. You practise various activities to feel ready. You read your thesis to help your memory; you read more later to build on that feeling. You make notes in your thesis, then review them to check they are sticking – and to find out how you think now.

Viva preparation is personal. It involves exploring. There are things you need to do, but many ways to do them. There are lots of steps, but some are steps to the side and some follow path you’ve already been down before.

It all helps. In some ways, viva prep is work to help you realise that you’re ready: you really did the work and you can go succeed in your viva.

Nathan

Reading Your Thesis

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When you read your thesis before submission you’re trying to make it better. Each draft moves your research towards a better state of presentation. Each revision helps you tell the story of your work in a more polished way. You want to find typos, unclear writing and places that need a little help.

When you read your thesis after submission you’re trying to prepare for the viva. Each time you read moves you closer to a state of being ready. Every minute of careful reading helps you build yourself up for discussing your research with your examiners. You don’t want to find typos, unclear writing or places that need a little help!

So don’t look for them. If you find them, make a note, but focus on what matters. Focus on the flow of words and ideas. Focus on what you set out as important.

To help the transition between the periods before and after submission take a break. Leave your thesis alone for a few weeks, if you can. Come back to it with a refreshed mind. Take your time and read it carefully.

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