The Middle
A lot of space is given to the origins of a research project in how we think about the viva and what you might need to talk about. How did you get started? What ideas influenced your first steps? What...
Daily viva help for PhDs
A lot of space is given to the origins of a research project in how we think about the viva and what you might need to talk about. How did you get started? What ideas influenced your first steps? What...
That’s one way you could look at your PhD and the viva: throughout all of the reading, research and writing you’re storing up exactly what you need for when you sit down with your examiners. Whatever they bring your way,...
Yes, you had help, you had supervision, you had supporters – but you did the work. Remind yourself as you get closer to your viva day. You showed up to do the work. You invested the time to learn more....
Everyone is talking about them for Summer 2021! Your thesis is the must-have accessory for your viva wardrobe, and can be accessorised itself, in so many wonderful ways: Strategic Post-it Notes to show the brilliant beginnings of chapters or index the...
My favourite teacher in high school, Mr S., used to have a set of “laws” on his wall. First among them was a lazy mathematician is a good one. He would repeat and explain it a lot, because he didn’t mean...
Today could be a rest day for you, even if your viva is soon. Ready for the viva means you have to refresh your memory, rehearse for the situation of talking with your examiners and remind yourself that you did...
…you did the work. Not just the prep but all the work before that too. You did the research. You wrote your thesis. You earned and achieved your way to submission. You took time between submission and the viva to read...
You can’t be perfect: you can be good. You can know enough and do enough to be good enough for your PhD. You can show enough in your thesis and in your viva to convince your examiners that you’re good....
“How do I get ready to answer classic questions in the viva?” I’ve been asked this many times over the last decade – I’ve met over 5000 candidates in seminars and webinars, so there’s a lot of questions I’ve been...
No trick questions. No gotcha statements. Your examiners aren’t in the viva to fool you or trap you, to belittle you or break you. Your examiners are there to examine you. It’s in the name! They ask questions to start...