Gasp!
If a question or comment in your viva makes you freeze then just stop. Breathe again. Think again. Try to understand the question. Think some more. Breathe again. And if the question or comment still makes you freeze then reflect,...
Daily viva help for PhDs
If a question or comment in your viva makes you freeze then just stop. Breathe again. Think again. Try to understand the question. Think some more. Breathe again. And if the question or comment still makes you freeze then reflect,...
You need to take your thesis to your viva. Your examiners don’t expect a perfect memory. You can use your thesis throughout to help you respond to questions. You need to take a pen and paper. The viva is a...
There are three general viva outcomes. Minor corrections are minor: correcting typos, editing for clarity and amending diagrams. Most candidates are asked to complete minor corrections as a result of the viva. Major corrections are unlikely: they account for very...
Viva prep is a set of tasks and activities you complete between submission and the viva which help you to feel ready for the viva. Before submission, to create a good space for your prep, do the following: Read the...
Vivas have institutional regulations, general expectations and local norms from recurring practice within departments all over the UK. Together these describe a picture of what any candidate can reasonably expect. The picture is a bit blurry in places but there’s...
…compared with the amount of time you’ve invested in your PhD. That doesn’t make them easy. That doesn’t mean they’ll fly by if they are many hours long. That doesn’t mean there’s no need to prepare. Those thousands of hours...
Viva prep is a bit like carrying an umbrella on an uncertain day. You look out the window. There are clouds. They’re grey but not dark grey. It might rain but it might not. You could leave the umbrella and...
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...
If you’re reading this and you’re in your first or second year of your PhD, you don’t have to worry about your viva! You don’t have to give it any great thought: for now, keep on with the main work...
That’s the viva. You’re doing something you have done many, many times throughout the last few years – thinking about and talking about your research and your ability as a researcher – and this is the last time you’ll need...