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Month: October 2022

Nathan

The Demonstration

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The verb that could most clearly summarise what you have to do at the viva is demonstrate. Your examiners have read your thesis. Now they need you to give them more in the viva.

  • You have to share what you know and what you can do.
  • You have to clearly describe and explain what you did for the last few years.
  • You have to show just how good you are as a researcher.

In the viva you’re giving a demonstration of how much you’ve done and how good you are. Your thesis counts towards your success, but you have to be ready on viva day to demonstrate just how capable you are.

Nathan

The Ugh Factor

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Ugh.

The most common response to thinking about thesis corrections.

Of course, any kind of corrections – minor or major – are unwanted, but they’re not bad in themselves. Examiners require corrections for lots of reasons: typos, clarity or because they’re just needed to help the thesis. Corrections are required for good reasons and to help a thesis be the best it can be.

And still: ugh.

You don’t want them, but you’re probably going to get them as a result of your viva. When you have a list from your examiners, break it down; figure out a plan of action and get them done.

Receiving thesis corrections? Ugh.

Passing your viva? Yay!

Nathan

Focus On The Good Stuff

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There are tricky things to explain in your viva. There will be times when you struggled. There are probably questions still to answer and problems to solve. But you don’t have to exclusively reflect on all of that during your preparation.

  • What is your strongest contribution in your thesis?
  • What were your most rewarding times working on your research?
  • What do you think is the most valuable aspect of your work?
  • Where have you seen yourself grow the most in your own personal development?

Make time before your viva to focus on the good stuff.

Nathan

The Final Checks

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It helps to check a few final things before your viva.

Do you have your thesis?

Do you have a notebook and pen?

Do you have something to drink?

Do you have a few weeks of prep in your recent history?

Do you have everything else you need for the venue for your viva, whether that’s a seminar room or your home?

Do you have years of effort, experience and success bound up in your PhD journey?

If you can answer yes to all of these then you’re in good shape for meeting your examiners!

Nathan

Down Time

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You can afford a little break at submission. In most instances, even if a candidate has an idea of their viva date, it won’t be confirmed at the time they submit their thesis.

When you submit you have time. Plenty of time to get ready, but also plenty of time to relax. Rest. Take time away from the work you’ve been doing to get your research finished and your thesis ready.

Pause, for your own sake. You have to look after yourself so that you can get ready.

A little down time will help in the final days and weeks leading to your viva.

Nathan

Staring At The Clock

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I was in full flow in my viva. The questions were challenging but fair. I was working hard to explain and explore my work, but that was, I suppose, to be expected.

Then I happened to notice the time. The clock on the wall informing me that we had been discussing things now for almost two-and-a-half hours.

I didn’t know if this was good or bad. I had no real expectations or understanding of what happened at a viva. But two-and-a-half hours seemed like a long time. I was surprised that was how long it had been so far.

I started to wonder how much longer it might be.

It seemed like a good idea to look up every now and then to “keep an eye on the time”. This quickly became a distraction, the first two-and-a-half hours of my viva had seemed to pass in no time at all. Now it felt as if time had slowed to a crawl…

 

Staring at the clock didn’t help.

Staring at the clock never helps.

Staring at the clock does nothing but distract.

For the most part the venue for your viva doesn’t make a great difference on your experience. It’s a seminar room or it’s over Zoom, that’s all. However, in either situation, do what you can to avoid staring at the clock.

If you have a video viva, place a little Post-it Note in the corner of your screen to obscure the clock once you get started. If you’re in-person for your viva, arrange to sit with your back to the clock in the meeting room.

Knowing the time does nothing to help you. You will only wonder when you’ll be finished, or whether you’re progressing well. It’s far better to reserve all your focus for simply engaging with the discussion in your viva.

Nathan

Knowing Enough

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You can’t know what the first question in your viva be will be until it’s asked.

You can’t know how long your viva will be until your examiners say, “OK, we’re done!”

You can’t know how you will respond to a tricky question until you experience it.

You can’t know in advance just what you’ll need to correct after the viva.

There’s a lot you can’t know before you get to the viva and experience it. That’s just the way it is.

But you can know that you’ve done enough to get you there. You know you’ve done enough to succeed. You know who your examiners are in advance, and can know all about their research, if that helps. You can know what to expect from the viva by reading regulations and listening to stories of viva experiences.

When you stop and think, there’s a lot you can know before you get to your viva.

Nathan

Two Reflections

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Today: two series of questions that could help as one gets ready for the viva.

First a reflection on your research:

  • Why is your research contribution valuable?
  • How did you do your research?
  • What was the result?

Second, a reflection on you, the researcher:

  • When did you make the greatest progress on your research journey?
  • Where have you found the most help and support?
  • Who are you now that you are coming to the end of your PhD?

Long-time readers of the blog might recognise the “Six Honest Serving Men” of Rudyard Kipling: proto-questions that I think help find good questions for reflection.

Getting ready for the viva involves preparation related to your research and yourself. This could involve talking, making notes and so on – but a little quiet reflection can also be really useful. Invest some time in thinking about what you did and who you are now.

Nathan

Boring

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What can I do in the viva if my research is boring?

Oof.

This was a tough question to hear at a webinar.

My first instinct was to turn the question around and ask, “Well, why do you think your research is boring?” but this was a group webinar and not a coaching session. Thinking or feeling that something is boring is related to perception: how someone sees something might not represent what that situation is really like, at least not fully.

There’s no shortcut to magically fix thinking if you feel your research is boring, difficult or highly specialised; a little reflection on one or more of the following questions could help:

  • Why did you want to do research in this area?
  • What is valuable about your contribution?
  • What is original about your thesis?
  • What have you enjoyed in exploring this topic?

If we think or feel that something is dull we can’t click our fingers or push a button to change that. Asking the right question, taking time to reflect and consider can help shift our perceptions. The process of doing your research could be boring at times – I remember the feeling well! – but perhaps with the right question you can get excited regardless.

Nathan

Big Challenge, Small Step

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What’s the biggest challenge standing between you and feeling ready for your viva?

What’s the smallest meaningful step you could take to overcoming that challenge?

If you feel there’s a problem stopping you from being prepared it helps to name it, however big it might be. It also helps to realise that most big problems aren’t solved by a single big action: it takes a lot of little steps. Sometimes it helps just to do something – anything – to start the process.

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