The Spark
I’ve told this story before, but not, I think, on this blog. I share it to offer a short piece of a life, and to maybe spark reflection for you. I hope it entertains 🙂 I did an easy undergraduate...
Daily viva help for PhDs
I’ve told this story before, but not, I think, on this blog. I share it to offer a short piece of a life, and to maybe spark reflection for you. I hope it entertains 🙂 I did an easy undergraduate...
Examiners aren’t all equivalent. Some choices will be better than others – which means, naturally, that some are less desirable. For example: The Egotist. Someone who just wants to talk about their work, how important they are, and make connections...
Three ways I think about the same point of viva preparation. Instead of pushing yourself to get better in advance of your viva, decide on what you can do to get ready. Better is a never-ending chase for perfection. Ready...
Your viva could go really well. The point at which work and prep and expectation and anticipation all meet; you try so hard, push so much, show your best work and best self and then- It’s over. It’s done. And...
There are lots of unknowns for the viva. Lots of maybes and probables and expectations-that-should-be-true. This leaves plenty of space for doubts. What if…? Maybe if this happens…? It’s not hard to see why PhD candidates get nervous and worried...
How often do you compare yourself to others? I did this all the time during my PhD. One office mate was determined to complete his PhD quickly. My friend at the next desk was a superstar, she had real talent....
Over the course of a full-time PhD in the UK, a candidate will probably show up on seven to eight hundred days. I can well imagine this number goes up for a part-time PhD. A candidate shows up when they...
When it comes to viva prep there are lots of ways you could try to prepare. You could read your thesis once and leave it at that. You could read and re-read your thesis to try to remember everything. You...
Silence, in almost any kind of meeting, is almost unbearable. Do you know what I mean? The gap in conversation invites tension, creates a shared awkwardness… Sometimes it can feel almost overwhelming. I used to notice it a lot when...
Dobble is a simple-but-tricky card game. In our house it’s firm favourite for quick fun. A deck of circular cards covered with colourful symbols, the trick is that every card matches every other card in terms of one symbol: it’s...