Prep & Procrastination
If it’s hard to get started on viva prep or you’re putting it off then perhaps you need to make a plan – not to procrastinate but to give yourself some structure. If you get distracted then maybe you need...
plan your prep
Plan For The Unexpected
Plan your viva prep. Take a sheet of paper when you submit and spend ten minutes thinking about how you would space out the work that you need to do. When will you start? Will a month investing an hour most...
The Good Kind Of Feedback
Certain kinds of feedback can be useful as you prepare for your viva. By that stage you can’t make any changes to your thesis. Feedback has to be carefully targeted to things you can change. If you have a mock...
The Prep Sequence
To prepare for the viva well it helps to do the right things. You don’t need to cover your thesis in notes and extra scribbles in every margin. Be targeted to make a better version of your thesis. You don’t...
INTRO To Prep
I’ve written before about INTRO, a neat acronym for structuring the start of a presentation: Interest: start by sharing something that will grab the audience’s attention. Need: say why what you’re going to talk about is important. Title: share the...
Clearing
Clear your mind as you consider viva prep. Get a pen and paper and unload all the bits and pieces that you’re carrying around in your brain. What do you need to do? Who do you need to ask for...
Big Challenge, Small Step
What’s the biggest challenge standing between you and feeling ready for your viva? What’s the smallest meaningful step you could take to overcoming that challenge? If you feel there’s a problem stopping you from being prepared it helps to name...
Too Early!
It is way too early for Halloween decorations. Some of my neighbours have had skeletons hanging in their windows and plastic pumpkins in their yard since the weekend! It’s very strange to me. Before thesis submission is way too early to...
When Do You Know?
Getting ready for the viva can feel hard sometimes. Reading your thesis, checking old notes and papers, finding time for a mock viva, and so on. The whole point is to get to a point where you feel ready. But...
Good Viva Prep
At submission, if not before, take a little time to sketch a simple plan for getting ready for the viva. When will you start? What do you need to do? Who do you need to ask for support? As you...