Enough Is Enough
What if I hadn’t done enough? What if I needed more results? What if my examiners didn’t see what I saw in my work? After years of work and months of writing up, as my page count crept towards 200,...
Daily viva help for PhDs
What if I hadn’t done enough? What if I needed more results? What if my examiners didn’t see what I saw in my work? After years of work and months of writing up, as my page count crept towards 200,...
Make a list of everything you’ve done that makes you feel proud. Think about all of the achievements in your PhD. Reflect on why they matter to you. Within that list you’ll find the strengths of your work. You’ll see...
Find half an hour in the days after your viva to sit and reflect on what you’ve done. You stayed determined. You learned and developed. You created something that no-one else has ever done and that many people can’t do....
The viva is an ending but also sparks questions about where your research could go next. What could someone do with your work, now that your thesis is finished? What would be the next steps for your research if you...
Viva preparation is a big part of getting ready. It takes time for a candidate to make sure their thesis is ready and that they feel prepared to sit down and talk with their examiners. Lots of practical tasks and...
A few loose thoughts… Viva regulations are impersonal. They give structure. Section 2, paragraph 3, check appendix 2A. Regulations say yes and no. They specify and describe: this is a pass, this is a fail. But viva outcomes...
Be early for your viva. Be early so you can take a breath or two and appreciate these last moments on this side of the milestone. In one moment you’re working towards your PhD, getting ready for your viva –...
Today marks fifteen years since I submitted my final PhD thesis. I remember that I went with a friend to hand my copies in. I wanted someone to be a witness with me to this great moment. The university admin...
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...
There will be congratulations after your viva, from examiners and others, telling you how well you’ve done, how great you are and starting the necessary celebrations for a wonderfully big and amazing thing! And before the celebrations really start to...