A Little Update
In two days my teeny-tiny Kickstarter campaign to make a helpful little guide for the viva will finish. The campaign has been a lovely success and I’ll soon be producing a print run for 101 Steps To A Great Viva....
getting ready
Not One Day
Your PhD success is hundreds of days of work – thousands and thousands of hours of learning, doing, achieving, growing, making, failing(!) and persisting. Your PhD is not defined by a few hours of discussion with two examiners. You need...
Three Easy Wins
I start most working days with “three easy wins” for my productivity: before I get stuck into the harder stuff and deeper thinking I do three things that help me feel like I’m already making progress. A walk is often...
Bit By Bit
Idea by idea. Paper by paper. Day by day. There’s no other way to put your PhD together than keep showing up, good days and bad, and work your way through. Learn more, do more, achieve more and find your...
My Two Questions
In the opening minutes of any viva session I ask two simple questions of the cohort: When is your viva? & How do you feel? Both of these questions, and their responses, are really helpful to me. I start to...
Risky
Are there risks of danger, problems or disappointment in the viva? In general when we consider risk it’s worth assessing three elements: The Bad Thing: the problem or outcome you’re concerned about. The Likelihood Of The Bad Thing: an honest...
Keep It Simple Smartypants!
To do research and write a thesis you have to be pretty smart. You must know lots and understand many complicated and complex facts. However, to get ready for your viva you don’t have to do anything especially complicated: Make...
The Special Days
Public holidays can be special, but are usually just a bit different: a day off or a change of pace. Of course, a royal coronation or other big public event is a pretty special occasion for a lot of people!...
Three Mini-Vivas
I’m still quite pleased with the Mini-Vivas Resource I made several years ago. I think it’s a nice little way to get ready for your viva with a friend; it doesn’t require a lot of preparation to use, and gives...
The First And Last Questions
Old viva advice says that the first question you’re asked at the viva will likely be easy, while the last question likely won’t be. Like a lot of advice, there’s a kernel of truth to this belief but a lot...