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Nathan

Best of Viva Survivors 2023: The Others!

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Last week, between Christmas and New Year, I shared posts that collected some of my favourite writing on the blog from 2023. I like to round out the year like this but it’s hard to narrow down the lists of posts because there are so many that I’m fond of!

I shared posts on viva prep, surviving and confidence, but there were more posts I’m really proud of that didn’t neatly fit into one category or other. Rather than have them disappear into the ether of the Viva Survivors archive, here are five more of my favourite posts of 2023:

  • Putting In The Hours – a very personal piece, reflecting on my memories of my dad.
  • Surprising Questions From Candidates – surprising, not stupid! There are no stupid questions about the viva, viva prep and expectations 🙂
  • It Depends – Many questions about the viva have a response that starts with these two words!
  • My Atypical Viva – I remember lots of the little, weird details about my viva. It wasn’t like many others I’ve heard of – and at the same time it wasn’t so different either.
  • Was That It? – a little reflection on the day I submitted my final thesis.

Hope you find these five interesting or helpful!

Nathan

Matters Of Context

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Many aspects of the viva, viva prep, viva expectations and what to do in the many related situations depend on the circumstances.

  • Do you start to prepare two weeks or four weeks before?
  • Do you need to admit when you’ve spotted a mistake in your thesis?
  • Should you have an examiner whose work you’ve cited in your bibliography?
  • Can you challenge an examiner’s comment?
  • Should you invite your supervisor to your viva?
  • Is a mock viva necessary?
  • Do you need to focus on your methods, your results or your conclusions more?

So many questions. So many scenarios. No easy answers.

It depends.

Explore the context. What does that question mean in your situation? What do you need to do? What is the real issue that you are unsure about?

Nathan

Discipline Differences

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Reading viva regulations and googling about what to expect for your viva can only tell you so much. There are a lot of general viva expectations worth paying attention to – related to the format, the questions and examiners – but you also have to think about your particular discipline, field or area.

Two to three hours could be a useful general expectation for viva length. Your discipline might have a different expectation though, longer or shorter. That’s never a guarantee but it’s information that could help.

In general, PhD candidates don’t tend to give presentations to start their viva, at least not in the UK. But in some fields it is very common, an idea that has become a piece of “good practice”.

Your discipline may have particular questions or a focus on methods that isn’t common in other disciplines. You might not know that until you ask.

Pay attention to general viva advice and regulations, but also take time to ask your supervisors, friends and colleagues about their experiences and what they know about vivas in your discipline. Get as full a picture of what to expect as possible so that you can prepare accordingly.

Nathan

It Depends

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There are many questions asked about the viva to which a response has to begin with, “It depends…”

  • Is it best to have an expert in my research area for an examiner? – It depends on what you think about the situation, what your supervisor advises and whether someone is available.
  • When should I start preparing for my viva? – It depends on how busy you are, how big your thesis is and how you want to approach things. There’s general advice but you have to tailor things to your situation.
  • Should I have a mock viva? – It depends on your relationship with your supervisor, your schedule and how you want to prepare.
  • Will I have an independent chair at my viva? – It depends on the regulations for your institution, and perhaps on who your examiners are.

And the list goes on.

There is lots of advice and good practice related to the viva. There are many general expectations. But so much depends on the candidate, their research, their thesis and their life.

When you ask for viva advice or look for help, think about how things change when it connects to your situation.