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Month: July 2023

Nathan

Viva Omens

Daily Post

Some things just are, in life and in the viva,

Typos don’t indicate that you’ll face stern questions or tough corrections.

Silence in the viva doesn’t mean that anything is wrong.

If you pause to think then your examiners don’t expect you have a problem.

And if your examiners are subject experts or take a long time to discuss something or if they have done research in something different you are no more likely to face a bad experience.

Some things just are. Typos are simply missed, silence happens when people think and pause. Examiners need to be experienced and can take their time.

None of these are omens of a bad viva or a bad outcome.

Nathan

Halfway

Daily Post

Think back, if you need to: how far had you come when you were halfway through your PhD?

How much work had you done when you were halfway through the journey?

What did you still have to do? And what had you already learned that helped?

What have you done since then? And what are the highlights of all of these stages of your PhD?

It’s important to look back over your PhD as you prepare for your viva. Practically, it can help you to unpick the story of your research. You can check the details, when you did things, how they happened and what it means.

You can unpick the story of your confidence too.

A story of certainty in your ability, your knowledge and your results. It helps to have more than a vague awareness that you have done things. Really know your story and you’ll have a confidence that can help with any nervousness you might experience in the viva or the days before.

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