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Month: October 2024

Nathan

Scary Times

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If you’re worried or scared by your upcoming viva you have to ask yourself why.

Knowing why doesn’t take the worry away but it can help you to start wondering “what if…?” and “how…?”

  • If you’re concerned about some part of the viva process, how could you find out more?
  • If you’re worried by your examiners, what if you knew more about them?
  • If you’re scared that you’ll forget something, how could you address that in your prep?
  • If you’re not sure what to do to get ready, what if there was someone who could offer some suggestions?
    • I’m not the only person who could do this, but there are a lot of ideas on this blog!
  • If you just don’t know why you feel scared, how could you start to unpick what’s wrong?

The last question might be the first step to resolving feeling scared.

You can’t suddenly stop feeling scared but you can begin to take steps to help yourself.

Nathan

The Motivations

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What was your motivation for doing a PhD?

What was the motivation for exploring the topic that lead to your research contribution(s)?

Has your motivation changed during the course of your research?

What topics or themes motivate your examiners?

What questions do you think will motivate the discussion in your viva?

What will keep you motivated as you get ready for your viva?

And what motivates the personal confidence you feel?

 

Or another way to think about many parts of the PhD and viva process is always to look a little deeper and ask “Why?”

Nathan

Absence of Expectations

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I don’t know what to expect.

An absence of viva expectations still gives someone something to expect: they expect the unknown, the scary, the negative. If you don’t know what to expect for your viva you’ll probably feel that it’s going to be bad.

I’m always happy to respond to questions in webinars or over email and help people build up a picture of the viva…

…but I’m always slightly sad that they’ve not asked someone sooner. I’m sad that they’ve let themselves get stressed so much. They’ve not realised that there are many others around them they could probably ask for help.

If you don’t know what to expect then that’s your cue to find out more. Don’t continue to sit with the scary feeling that something bad is probably going to happen at your viva.

Nathan

Making Prep Better

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The time between when you submit your thesis and have your viva is your viva prep period.

Is it possible to wing it? To go with the flow and do things as and when you feel like it? Probably! It might not be very comfortable though.

Everyone is different – in themselves, their research and their situation – so I’m sure some people could do what comes to them as they go through the weeks leading up to their viva.

If that doesn’t feel like a comfortable situation for you though, or even if it does and you want to make sure your prep is as good as it could be, consider doing some of the following:

  • Sketch a plan. Think about the time you have available and how you might do the work to help you get ready.
  • Prioritise. Make sure you make time to do the things that matter most.
  • Ask for help. Ask early and as you need it. You’re alone at your viva but before then there are many people who can support you.
  • Recognise when you have done something. Mark a checklist or record it on your calendar. Make it obvious to yourself that you have done the work.

Finally, take time to remind yourself of the work you’re doing now and all the work you’ve done before. Viva prep is for the particular challenge of your viva. In the years before you have done a lot of work that helps you.

Nathan

At First Glance

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Rescued baby hedgehog turns out to be hat bobble (BBC News)

This news story has been stuck in my head for over six months: a well-meaning member of the public took a hair bobble to a wildlife rescue centre because they mistakenly thought it was an abandoned baby hedgehog.

Awwwww!

 

And because of the way my brain works it made me think of the viva and all the things that are mistaken about that.

  • Candidates mistake corrections for failure, when really they are just part of the process.
  • People mistake examiners for the enemy, when in fact they’re there to do their job and do it well.
  • Questions are mistaken for criticisms, opinions are mistaken for facts and experiences are mistaken for the whole story.

At first glance there’s a lot about the viva that can seem negative – but that doesn’t come from the viva itself. Perception plays a big part and perception can be distorted by stress, nerves, the situation and skewed expectations.

Before you worry and before you act, make sure that you’re considering something real – and not just a metaphorical hair bobble!

Nathan

The Supervisor Wish

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Let’s imagine your supervisor could fix one problem you have about your viva. What would you wish for?

  • Inside information about an examiner?
  • More confidence at responding to questions?
  • Certainty that your thesis is good?

Now temper your expectations! Your supervisor, good as they are, is unlikely to be able to simply solve your problems.

But if you know what your problem is they can probably help.

In fact, if you can think clearly and can state your what your problem or issue is, you’ll probably find that you, they and lots of other people can do something to help the situation.

You don’t need wishes or supervisor magic to make a difference to a viva problem.

Nathan

Write Two Lists

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On the first list capture the following sorts of things:

  • Your disappointments from your research.
  • The things that didn’t work.
  • The questions you don’t know how to answer.
  • Your concerns for finishing your PhD.
  • Your worries about the viva process.

On the second list write the following sorts of things:

  • The conclusions of your thesis.
  • The results you got through your research.
  • The ways you became a better researcher.
  • The topics you’re looking forward to talking about at your viva.
  • Your great plans for the future.

Now decide: which of these lists are you going to look at every day, and which are you going to skim over once a week?

Put the everyday list in a prominent space and the once a week list in a drawer.

 

You get to decide where you put your focus; it might be helpful, for example, to think a little about viva worries and do something about them – but maybe it’s better to think more often about the good things in your thesis than the what ifs of your viva?

 

(writing two lists is a viva-centric riff on a Seth Godin idea – his blog is always worth reading!)

Nathan

Out Of Practice

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Another good reason to be serious about viva preparation is because it’s a good time for practice. In the busy weeks (and months) of finishing your thesis and getting it ready for submission you can be a out of practice for lots of things.

When you finish your thesis, ask yourself:

  • When was the last time you read something new about your field?
  • When did you last have a good conversation about your research with someone other than your supervisors?
  • When did you last stop and think about your research rather than your thesis?

As part of your viva prep read a few recent papers about your research area. Make time to talk about your research – or even give a talk! Reflect and review on your research as a whole, not just the bits in your thesis.

Viva prep is partly about practice. What else do you need to do to get ready?

Nathan

When To Get Ready

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Get ready for the specific challenge of your viva after taking a short break from your research and thesis submission.

Get ready by making sure you sketch out a plan for your viva prep. Give yourself enough time to read and review your thesis. Take time to reflect on what it all means and rehearse for meeting your examiners.

Get ready during this period by building up your confidence. Recognise that you are a capable researcher. You must be: that’s the only way you could have developed as much as you have.

And recognise that while you are preparing for the specific challenge of your viva, in reality you’ve been getting ready for your viva for a very long time.

 

PS: you don’t need to get ready for the viva until after submission. For help with all of the work and days leading up to submitting your thesis, check out Final Year Focus – my 1-hour live webinar running TOMORROW! Figuring out priorities, getting clear on plans, writing up, thinking about life after the PhD and more. Full registration details are on Eventbrite and there will be a catch-up recording if you can’t attend live. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Signs Of PhD Success

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You don’t pass your viva until you actually pass your viva – but there are lots of signs that can indicate PhD success before then.

  • You have a thesis.
  • You have submitted (or had accepted) one or more papers.
  • You have presented a talk or paper at a conference.
  • You have been working towards a PhD for at least several years.
  • You have submitted your thesis.
  • You have a viva date.
  • You have positive feedback from your supervisor and/or others about your research.
  • You can see future applications for your research, even if you’re not going to be the one to do that work.
  • You have future plans.
  • You have prepared for your viva and feel fairly confident.

You don’t pass your viva until you pass your viva. Before then, pay attention to the many signs showing PhD success in your future.

It’s not simply luck that you’ve got this far.

 

PS: if you’re working towards submission now and any of the above seem out of reach, take a look at Final Year Focus, my 1-hour live webinar running this Thursday, 24th October, at 11am. If it seems good but you can’t make it then you can still sign up to watch the catch-up recording! Full details and registration on Eventbrite. Thanks for reading!

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