Make Your Jar Of Awesome
A Bank Holiday PhD Craft Project. You need a jar, some small pieces of paper and decorations: fun stickers, labels and so on. Stick a label on the outside that proudly says, “I, Future Doctor insert last name here, am...
Daily viva help for PhDs
A Bank Holiday PhD Craft Project. You need a jar, some small pieces of paper and decorations: fun stickers, labels and so on. Stick a label on the outside that proudly says, “I, Future Doctor insert last name here, am...
It won’t be perfect. Accept that, listen, then: Just get them all done! There’s always something. “No corrections” means your examiners didn’t see the typos! Nearly everyone is asked to do something to help make their thesis better. Smile,...
Both have a place in shaping your expectations of the viva. Stats can give you an outline, a pencil drawing that is a reasonable shape of the viva experience. Stories can help to colour in that picture, give you details...
I have failed many times. Three years ago I spent a lot of effort and time developing an independent viva preparation workshop. I found a great venue and booked it three times upfront. I spent a lot of time and...
There are always some. For the viva think of them as exceptions to the expectations… …the six hour vivas, out of the ordinary, but they do happen. …the vivas done over video chat, which don’t happen that often, but often...
And how did they help? You did the work for your PhD, but no-one does it completely alone. You have a supervisor or two, helpers, supporters, confidantes, sounding boards, friends, family and folk who want you to succeed. All of...
If you’re busy and you need to get ready for your viva, don’t panic. If you have a job, and/or family commitments, and/or are looking around for a job, and/or have 101 things to do, make a plan. Make a...
You can survive the viva, but you don’t just survive the viva. “Manage to keep going in difficult circumstances” suggests someone has been doing this for a while. “Manage to keep going in difficult circumstances” tells you someone has experience....
What are your viva dreams? What would you really love it to be like? Two hours or less? Great, smiling faces as you walk into the room? Examiners gushing praise at you? No questions?! No corrections?! Some of that sounds...
There are lots of possible examiner qualities candidates might prefer – an expert, someone you’ve cited, someone relatively new – but all of these are just preferences. There’s no right or wrong preference: it’s just how you feel. Reflect on...