After The Viva
Thank your examiners. Take some deep breaths. Make a few notes about what just happened. Make sure your supervisors know what just happened. Call whoever you need to and let them know. Take some more deep breaths. Go find a...
Daily viva help for PhDs
Thank your examiners. Take some deep breaths. Make a few notes about what just happened. Make sure your supervisors know what just happened. Call whoever you need to and let them know. Take some more deep breaths. Go find a...
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,...
After the final act, the climactic battle between good and evil, heroes and villains clashing, a white knuckle adventure with thrills and chills… …there’s corrections. It’s always worth remembering that for most candidates the PhD process does not end with...
There’s lots of Finally!!! moments at the end of a PhD. Finally!!! My thesis is finished! Finally!!! My viva is almost here! Finally!!! I’ve passed my viva! Finally!!! My corrections are done! Finally!!! I’ve graduated! I’m finally, finally, done! At...
I re-read my thesis now and cringe! There are long, waffly sentences that need serious editing. The diagrams look amateur. The structure of the thesis barely supports how I frame my ideas. It could be so much better – and...
You won’t get an A, because there’s no A to get. You’ll probably get “minor corrections” but that’s a detail, not the qualification. Your viva is the final exam but it’s not the only test. You pass it in the...
As far as I know a round of applause isn’t that common immediately after a viva. Maybe if you have a group of friends and colleagues on hand, perhaps with a bottle of something sparkling, there’ll be a call to...
Remember at the end of your PhD – after the viva is done, after the corrections are finished, when you can breathe – take a moment to pause. Whatever you do afterwards – whether you’re returning to a role you’ve...
Doctor Who was first broadcast fifty-five years ago today. Given my past posts on superheroes, it should come as no surprise I’m a fan. One of the highlights of my time recording interviews for the Viva Survivors Podcast was interviewing...
After your viva there’s more to do. Not your corrections, not wrapping things up, not admin. Your PhD is coming to a close… …and the rest of your life is right there waiting for you. You’re not the same. Your...