The Formality
There’s a general expectation that a candidate will pass their viva if they’ve submitted their thesis. The pass rate is so high that reaching that stage is a really good sign that success will follow in due course. But the...
Daily viva help for PhDs
There’s a general expectation that a candidate will pass their viva if they’ve submitted their thesis. The pass rate is so high that reaching that stage is a really good sign that success will follow in due course. But the...
If you find a problem during your viva prep, big or small, do you need to solve it immediately? A typo might just need a note making for later correction. A clunky sentence could need underlining to revise, so long...
Viva preparation doesn’t have to take a long time. It isn’t a huge amount of work, not compared to the scope and scale of a PhD. It doesn’t take long, generally, to read a thesis, make some notes, capture thoughts...
Remember you know your work better than anyone else! I have read and heard these words so many times from people trying to reassure viva candidates. They’re not wrong but I’ve had a growing feeling for some time that they...
Read your examiners’ recent publications to check that you know how or if their work connects to yours. Find out what they are interested in and what you know about those topics. Read your thesis and be certain of what...
A poem, seeing as it’s February 14th! Most candidates won’t love their viva, ‘Though most PhDs won’t hate it either; If you prepare and give it a chance, Examiners won’t lead you a merry dance. Believe it will be...
Take several years of difficult and demanding work. Sieve together with months of writing. Stir in vague half-truths and uncertain expectations. Add two experienced academics to the mix. Fold together with nervousness, worry, future plans and, depending on circumstances, pandemic-related...
I love starting something with a list. There are lots of lists that can help with getting ready for the viva: A list of key references in your bibliography. A list of important results from your thesis. A list of...
After submission you need to prepare for your viva – but you also need to prepare for life after the PhD. For some that could be simple (or welcome!) but for all candidates, particularly those who have attachments to physical...
Later this year I’ll “celebrate” fifteen years since I had my viva, and remembering that makes me realise one more time just how different my viva was to everything I’ve heard since about vivas. Before I had my viva I...