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My daughter will be seven in just over a week. I don’t know where the time has gone. I’m an obnoxiously proud parent. Don’t get me started, or I’ll tell you all about how well she reads, how she loves...
Daily viva help for PhDs
My daughter will be seven in just over a week. I don’t know where the time has gone. I’m an obnoxiously proud parent. Don’t get me started, or I’ll tell you all about how well she reads, how she loves...
There are different outcomes to vivas, but in the grand scheme of things there’s no real hierarchy with them. We know this because when everything is complete you’re not awarded anything extra for how you pass. Corrections, minor or major,...
A bonus post for today! The short version: I’m running my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar this Thursday morning. I love helping PhD candidates get ready for their viva. Earlier this year, during lockdown, I explored a few...
Until there isn’t. There’s another opportunity to get things right, another test you can re-run, another day to spend on writing and editing. Until you hit the deadline, the submission date, the limit of your resources. A fear I’ve heard...
To reach submission you must have made a contribution: you must have done something. Reflecting before the viva and making notes, even using a simple question, can be quite powerful. To begin with, three simple questions: Why did you do it? How...
I’ve found a lot of interesting ideas and wisdom from TED Talks since I finished my PhD. One of the shortest, and most helpful for me, is Derek Sivers‘ talk (embedded below) which starts by comparing the way we might...
Would you rather have a long viva or a short one? Would you rather know at the start exactly what your examiners thought of your thesis, or wait to discover it during the conversation of the viva? Would you rather...
While there are general reasons why a PhD candidate will have got to submission, and general reasons why that candidate would pass their viva, personal reasons will be much more powerful. What are yours? What have you learned that has brought...
I like my mini-vivas resource, a tool to create valuable practice responding to questions before the viva. I like the acronym BOOST for feedback – Balanced, Observed, Objective, Specific, Timely – a neat way to remember how to frame constructive...
A problem is an opportunity in workclothes. I love this phrase. It’s not always possible to remember the wisdom in it: it can be hard to find a solution when you’re stressed, or tired, or overwhelmed. Still, problems can be...