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Tag: supervisor help

Nathan

The Supervisor Wish

Daily Post

Let’s imagine your supervisor could fix one problem you have about your viva. What would you wish for?

  • Inside information about an examiner?
  • More confidence at responding to questions?
  • Certainty that your thesis is good?

Now temper your expectations! Your supervisor, good as they are, is unlikely to be able to simply solve your problems.

But if you know what your problem is they can probably help.

In fact, if you can think clearly and can state your what your problem or issue is, you’ll probably find that you, they and lots of other people can do something to help the situation.

You don’t need wishes or supervisor magic to make a difference to a viva problem.

Nathan

Who You Ask

Daily Post

Lots of people say lots of things about the viva. It depends who you ask. It depends on their experience.

If you ask your supervisor about your upcoming viva they might tell you not to worry. They could offer a small piece of experience-tempered wisdom.

If you ask friends also working towards their PhDs about your upcoming viva they might share some things they’ve heard. Rumours, half-truths and apocryphal stories of possible vivas past.

If you ask friends who have had their viva already then they might offer some interesting details. You might have to ask specific questions and give them space to remember. You will have to be mindful that all vivas are different, even if there are trends and patterns in the process of how they happen.

If you were to ask yourself about your upcoming viva, what would you say? Would you be positive? Would you be concerned? What would you focus on?

Nathan

Supervisor Support

Daily Post

Talk to your supervisor around submission time to get a sense of how they can support you when you prepare for your viva.

Your supervisor is best-placed to offer advice and perspective as you get ready. You might not need a lot from them. Maybe you want a mock viva. Perhaps they can share some thoughts on your examiners or the general process of vivas.

Whatever you need, you can be sure that they are busy. They’ll want to help but will only have a limited amount of time to do so and a limited availability as well. So talk to them at submission to get a sense of what they can do, when they can do it and how you’ll make it work.

Nathan

Other Perspectives

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Your supervisor is well placed to give you a different perspective on your work. You know how you’ve thought about and written about your work; they could give you their impressions as a more experienced academic, or share how an examiner would approach your thesis.

Friends and colleagues can offer their perspective on the viva process. Any PhD graduate could share their experience to help broaden your understanding of what to expect. A graduate from your department might be able to give you a nuanced expectation of what a viva is like in your discipline.

Your graduate school or doctoral college can help give you the big picture perspective on the viva. They can share regulations, requirements and as much paperwork as you can manage to show you what the process of the viva is meant to be like.

What other perspectives do you need as you get ready for your viva?

Nathan

Asking Your Community

Daily Post

Who do you know who could help you get ready for your viva?

Your supervisors can help with a lot: setting expectations, hosting mock vivas, sharing ideas of what examiners do – there’s a wealth of support from them potentially.

Departmental friends and colleagues around you understand: they may have first-hand experience of the viva, they could listen to what’s bothering you or even be a part of discussions to help you practise.

Family and friends might not understand: they can still help you by providing a space that you can prepare in, or by giving you time to do the relatively small work involved in preparation.

No person is an island. You don’t have to do everything alone. You might be doing the most work, but others can help lighten the load, in lots of different ways. Ask your community. Perhaps ask early to help set their expectations and schedule support, but know that there are lots of people in your life who can make a difference as you prepare for your viva.