Need, Nice, No
When I work with final year postgraduate researchers I ask them to consider prioritising the work they think they have to do with three lists: Need: the things that are absolutely essential Nice: work that would be good to do...
Daily viva help for PhDs
When I work with final year postgraduate researchers I ask them to consider prioritising the work they think they have to do with three lists: Need: the things that are absolutely essential Nice: work that would be good to do...
These three words were drilled into me in my former life as a mathematician. In solving a maths problem it wasn’t enough to find an answer, I had to show how I had got there. I couldn’t claim a result...
A long journey. Tiring and stressful perhaps. At times the destination might have seemed uncertain – or perhaps even changed! But if your viva is somewhere in your near future then you’ve almost reached your journey’s end. As you get closer,...
I know. I think. I feel. There’s a place for all in the viva, potentially. Some questions will hit a target made up of facts. Things you know. Things you have discovered. For some questions you weigh up information against...
There isn’t a single big picture to consider before your viva. Why did you want to do a PhD? That initial motivation is helpful to reflect on and share. It could help you to explain to your examiners what you...
You have many people around you who could give support as you get ready for your viva. Ask your supervisor for help. Ask early in case they’re busy. Be clear so that they can support you. Check their availability to...
Bring a quality of kindness to your preparation for the viva. Don’t overload yourself. Don’t start late so that you put pressure on your work. Don’t rush so that you can make the most of it. Don’t be afraid to...
It used to be that an in-person viva was the right way to have a viva. Video vivas were anomalies, rare arrangements made out of necessity. Then they were the necessary arrangement. For a time they were the only way of...
Alas! There isn’t one. No shortcuts. No hacks. No loopholes. No tricks. No weird little things that will just make it all better. But you don’t need them. You need someone who has done the work. Someone who has put...
On my desk I have a drawing that my daughter gave me on the day of my first Zoom session. It helped me to smile as I tried something new for the first time – against a backdrop of change...