Tag: 7 questions to answer at submission

There’s a few key things it would be good to know around submission time. Questions which occur to candidates all of the time, but which I very rarely have answers for because they’re particular to their institution. If you’re submitting soon, find answers to these questions:

1. In what time frame does your university hope to hold your viva after you submit?
2. Under what circumstances would you be liable for fees after submission?
3. Who will be in the room for the viva?
4. What are the range of possible awards or results for the viva at your institution?
5. In particular, how long are you given for minor corrections at your institution?
6. What is the post-viva process at your institution?
7. What are you unsure about when it comes to the logistics and process of the viva?

You’ll likely pick up answers to most of these questions by osmosis during your PhD. It’s within your power to find answers to all of them, and find out how things are done at your university.

If your answer to Question 7 is anything other than “nothing” then find someone who can help. It’s up to you.

Viva Survivors Summer Sabbatical: I’m taking July, August and September off from new writing to concentrate on other creative projects, so will be sharing a post from the archives every day throughout those months. Today’s post was originally published on December 11th 2017.