Questions By Moonlight

How about a little music to prepare by?

Whenever I need a quick thinking break or need to gather my ideas I listen to Clair de lune by Debussy. I think it’s my favourite piece of music. Listening to it never fails to give me five minutes of happy thought-arranging.

Get a piece of paper and a pen, pick a question from below and press play to have five minutes of reflective viva prep.

• What are you most proud of in your PhD journey?
• Which chapter was the most rewarding to write?
• What are you looking forward to talking about in the viva?
• What steps can you take to build your confidence now?
• What do you hope you’ll be asked in your viva?

Small pieces of prep help. Little reflections help to build up the picture of how you think and feel about your thesis. And a little music can’t hurt either.