Just A Moment
Just a moment. That’s all you need, compared to the years of work in your PhD already, in order to get ready for your viva. Just a moment. The shortest of pauses, used regularly throughout the viva, is all you’ll...
reflection
Five Questions
A little exercise that might help with viva prep and getting ready. Take a sheet of paper and divide it into quarters, giving yourself space to write notes in response to the following questions: What were your greatest challenges doing...
Techniques
A small piece of viva prep: think back over your PhD and pick a method you learned, a piece of software or equipment that you became familiar with or a process for getting things done that you put together. Unpick...
Changes After Submission
You might have corrections to complete after the viva, but between submission and the viva you don’t need to make any alterations. Find a typo? Underline it or add it to a list. See a reference that needs a tweak?...
Part Of Something
Remember that as you finish your PhD journey and have your viva that you are part of something. Several somethings! You are part of a community: there are many people around you who can offer support. You are part of...
To Be Continued
After submission you need to prepare for your viva – but you also need to prepare for life after the PhD. For some that could be simple (or welcome!) but for all candidates, particularly those who have attachments to physical...
Three Things
Do you want a simple task to help how you feel about your viva? Every day after submission, take five minutes to write down three things about your research: things that you know are good, that you’re proud of, that you...
What’s Important?
Two words to prompt reflection on nearly every aspect of the viva and viva prep. What’s important… …about your thesis? Explore it chapter by chapter with a notebook in hand. Make notes about anything that stands out to you. …about...
The Exp Words
What kind of speaking are you expecting to do in your viva? Do you imagine you’ll have to explain what you did? Do you think you’ll simply expand on what you’ve done? Or perhaps you think you will explore what...
Three, Two, One
Three or more years of research and writing. Two to four weeks of preparation time. One day with a challenge. Put the viva in the right perspective.