Best of Viva Survivors 2022: Reflections

We continue the review of the year today with some of my favourite reflections about the viva.

I like these sort of posts, though I don’t tend to write them every day. They often involve noticing something about the viva that is odd, or connecting something of the viva with something in the wider world. And sometimes, as with the first post on today’s list, they involve telling a story:

• The Red Button – a little story with a big point.
• Two Pictures – a post about communicating the picture of your research that you see, to someone who can’t see what you see.
• Map, Compass, Landmarks – a little reflection on how we think about what to expect for the viva.
• The Same, But Different – contrasting in-person and video vivas.
• Worry – where do you give your focus when you worry? How does that help?
• Fuses & Feelings – thinking about what trips us up and what we can do about it.

Stop. Breathe. Think. Reflect. What’s standing out about your year? What do you notice about your PhD journey? And what does that mean?

Tomorrow: some of the shortest thoughts I’ve shared this year!

PS: the Viva Survivors blog celebrated five years of daily posts earlier this year! To mark the journey so far I wrote and published “Keep Going – A Viva Survivors Anthology” – a curated collection of the best of the first five years. If you’re looking for viva help then this blog is and always will be free – if you want to support the blog and get an awesome book as well, then take a look at the options at the link. Thanks!