Crumbs

That’s the way the cookie crumbles!

An old saying which means that some things have a tendency to behave in a certain way. There’s no equivalent saying for vivas, but there are still lots of patterns that tend to be followed:

• Candidates are nervous – because the viva is really important.
• Examiners are prepared – because they want to do the job well.
• Vivas last for hours – because there’s a lot to talk about.
• Questions can be difficult – because one of the topics of conversation is original research.
• Candidates are often asked to complete thesis corrections – because writing a book is hard.

And candidates often succeed – because, when you think about it, a person couldn’t work for years and years and submit a thesis without being good enough.