Current
“How long will your work be seen as current?” I don’t know how common this question is in the viva, but I think it is a fantastic question to explore in preparation. Get a piece of paper and jot down...
Daily viva help for PhDs
“How long will your work be seen as current?” I don’t know how common this question is in the viva, but I think it is a fantastic question to explore in preparation. Get a piece of paper and jot down...
If your PhD is anything like mine – or, come to think of it, any PhD I know – it has been full of ups and downs, both at work and in your personal life. The viva marks the end...
Two ways to get away from failing. You could just not try. Failing seems like such an awful thing, best stop now and not go for it. Remove the possibility of failure. Forget all about this doctorate business. It wasn’t...
Both before and after you submit your thesis, one of the best things you can do to prepare for the viva is find opportunities to share your work. Telling others about what you’ve done helps you think about how you...
Viva prep doesn’t always feel easy. If you find it tough to get going, or you feel stuck, or you only have a little time, you can still do something small that will make a difference. Writing a few sentences...
Wants and needs are two different things, but they can be easy to confuse. You might want to submit a perfect thesis, but that’s impossible. So think, what does your thesis need to have? You might want the best possible...
Nevermind typos in my final thesis, I made far bigger mistakes throughout my PhD research… I spent days trying to solve a typesetting issue, before realising I was making a simple code error. I tried for weeks to organise a...
The probability of failure in the viva is not 0. We know this because despite the many thousands of candidates who pass their viva every year, a handful of people don’t. A couple of universities have told me the odds...
“Do publications mean my examiners are more likely to pass me?” Yes, but not for the reasons that I think are behind the question. Candidates asking this are really wondering, “Will my examiners add those papers into the balance of...
…but they’re not a sign that something is wrong. Nerves are a signal you’re feeling stressed or excited or anxious about something. The physical and mental discomfort doesn’t mean you definitely have a problem. There’s a strong correlation between recognising...