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Tag: choices

Nathan

Choosing To Act

Daily Post

This whole year has felt outside of my control. I imagine, at least at times, that you’ve felt similar.

Still, I could choose how I would act. I could choose how I would approach things. The outcome of a situation might not have been within my power to control, and in some cases I’ve only had a few options to choose from – but I could still choose.

All through your PhD, you’ve made choices. Decisions about methods, choices about projects to follow (or not); you choose which literature to read and follow, and which you will leave out of your bibliography.

During your prep you can choose what actions you take. What steps you will follow to get ready. When you take them and how you do them is up to you.

And in the viva you can choose how you will approach the discussion. How will you listen? How will you respond?

The more actions you take, and the more you act to follow your intentions, the more likely you are to find the successful outcome you’re looking for.

Nathan

A Series of Choices

Daily Post

Are you going to spread out your viva prep over weeks or months, or do it all in a few days leading up to the viva?

Are you going to explore possibilities for your examiners in conversation with your supervisors, or leave the choice purely to them?

Are you going to be ready for your viva, or simply optimistic?

Are you going to respond to any and every question in the viva, or have questions in mind that you’d rather not discuss?

Are you open to being wrong about something, or certain that your research is right?

Some choices for the viva are easy, others aren’t. Some you have to make once, some you have to repeat. Some are conscious, some you won’t notice. Some have deadlines, some are fixed, and some you can change.

But they are there. They are your choices that lead you to the viva you’ll have and how you’ll engage with it.

Choose wisely.

Nathan

Viva Of The Year

Daily Post

There’s no such prize, at least, as far as I’m aware! But it’s fun to think about the possible criteria a viva would have to satisfy to put it on a shortlist…

  • Would it have to have a substantial discussion – but not be too long?
  • Maybe it could only result in minimal corrections – but how would we quantify “minimal” since most vivas end with corrections being asked for?
  • Perhaps we’d have to consider everyone in the room and not just the candidate – what qualities would a Viva Of The Year nominee’s examiners have to satisfy?

And who would we get to judge this anyway?!

It’s fun to think about, but rather than focus on whether a viva or your viva is “the best”, it’s more useful to work on things you can do something about.

Learn about your examiners, and if you can, have a discussion with your supervisor about the selection and nomination process. Submit the best thesis you can, and spend a little time getting ready. Learn about viva expectations generally, and see what you can do to live up to your part of the process. Build your confidence, and go to your viva determined to engage fully with your examiners’ questions.

Your viva might not be viva of the year, but it could be a highlight of your year. What will you do to steer it towards that outcome?