best of 2024 – Viva Survivors

December 31, 2024October 25, 2024 Nathan

Best of Viva Survivors 2024: Surviving

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Today’s the final day of 2024 and the final day of my best of posts for 2024.

The blog is called Viva Survivors, so we have to have some posts about surviving!

You Did The Work: four words to remind you; four words to help you keep going.
Pick A Number: a little exercise to help you take positive action.
Hope Helps…: …but actions help more!
Whatever You Need: reflect on what you need then work to get it. Create the situation you need to succeed.
How Many Times? A reminder that the viva is the latest challenge – and you’ve already overcome a lot of them.

How have you got through your PhD? What helped you manage to keep going in difficult circumstances?

And what’s going to help you survive in 2025?

December 30, 2024October 25, 2024 Nathan

Best of Viva Survivors 2024: Confidence

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Day three of my best of posts for 2024. I love to think about how to encourage confidence, both in general and for the viva in particular. It’s a topic I keep thinking about because of how powerful it can be in changing someone’s way of doing things.

On The One Hand…: weighing up the candidate and examiner experience.
Talking Comfortably: the value of rehearsal and the impact it has on confidence.
How You Find Confidence: you have to search for it!
Contribution To Confidence: explore your research contribution and you’ll find confidence.
Doing To Feeling: at the end of the day, confidence follows our actions.

How confident do you feel for your viva? What steps do you take to pursue confidence?

December 29, 2024October 25, 2024 Nathan

Best of Viva Survivors 2024: Reflections

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Day two of my best of posts for 2024. I am very fortunate to have time to think about and write about the viva.

I like to try and consider the viva from as many angles as possible, which leads to posts like today’s that reflect on the overall viva experience.

Other Vivas: hearing about viva experiences and anticipating your own.
But You Didn’t: reflecting on the PhD journey and the roads not taken.
Better Questions: what is it worth reflecting on ahead of your viva?
Write Two Lists: find a focus to help you get ready.
Questioning Difficulty: in a sentence, “expect difficult questions not difficult people.”

How have you been thinking about your viva over the last year? And how do you think you might need to change your thinking?

December 28, 2024October 25, 2024 Nathan

Best of Viva Survivors 2024: Viva Prep

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I’m always happy to get to this time of year when I can share some of my favourite posts from the last twelve months!

Today we begin with viva prep. It’s a key thing for any candidate to reflect on how they will get ready. The following five posts can help:

Making Prep Better: thoughts on doing viva prep well.
Take Five: small tasks that make a difference.
Thinking In Advance: the value of writing summaries.
The Sixth Activity: rehearsing for the viva – and why it matters.
The Power Of Prep: what viva prep is really all about.

And of course there are many more posts about viva prep on Viva Survivors if you’re looking for ideas of what you can do to get ready for your viva!

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