Mindsets Can Change

A mindset sounds fixed by definition. Your mind is set on something, in behaving a certain way or doing a certain thing.

I’ve talked to a lot of PhD candidates who get worried about their examiners. They think that they’re out to get them. They think examiners will solely focus on “the bad stuff” – even if they can’t quite define what parts of their thesis they think that will be. And sometimes they’re intimidated by examiners; their level of general knowledge and experience could make a candidate feel small by comparison.

Examiners are often cast as the bad guys (by the candidate) but really they’re just doing a job.

• They prepare. They plan. They explore ahead of time what they might ask.
• At the viva they facilitate. They make notes. They listen. They ask questions. They decide.
• And more generally, they have PhDs so they can empathise. They know what it’s like to do what you’ve done and to be sat where you’re sat.

Have I changed your mindset with these little thoughts? Maybe not. But perhaps it’s chipped away a little worry. You now have to think about what else you can explore to change your mindset about your examiners.

Perhaps there are other mindsets about the viva (the tone, the expectations, the questions) that you can challenge. Perhaps by changing your mind about a few things you can find a better way to think about and prepare for your viva.