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Tag: the PhD journey

Nathan

Being Hard On Yourself

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Any candidate could have done more or could have done things differently during their PhD.

There always other options. There are always missed opportunities. And there is always the benefit of knowing now what you didn’t know then.

Reflecting a little about possibilities could be useful, but will it help to be hard on yourself? Will it help you get ready for your viva by stressing about what you could or would or should have done? Will it help to put that extra pressure on yourself?

There is a big difference between reflecting on the journey and thinking about what you “should” have done. Mark the line and don’t cross it. Don’t be hard on the person you were when you did the work. Don’t be hard on yourself now as you get ready for your viva.

Nathan

All The Choices

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When you reflect on your PhD journey, take a little time to think about the choices you made.

  • Some choices will have been about purpose. How you wanted to do things and how you did them. Were you able to follow your intentions? Did they lead where you expected?
  • Some choices will have been about options. Do you pick Plan A or Plan B? How did you make the choice? Did it work out as you thought it would and what did you learn along the way?
  • Some choices will have been hard. How did you arrive at that situation? Was there any other choice open to you?

Looking back, some choices might seem like they were obviously right. For some you might now think that you would choose differently. Hindsight is wonderful.

Looking back you can see that you have got to the end of your PhD with work, growth, adding to knowledge and by making choices. These choices alone don’t have to define you, but they do influence how you think about yourself, your work and your PhD.

If you’ve not arrived at your viva day yet, you still have time to make choices that can help you get ready.

Choose wisely.

Nathan

You Make It Good

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Remember that the contribution in your thesis is only there because you did the work.

Remember that your thesis, imperfect though it probably is, only exists because you took the time to write it.

Remember that you have got to your viva because you put in the effort over a very long period of time.

Whatever your research, your thesis and your viva have that make them good is because of you.

Nathan

Hole In One

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It’s really unlikely that any person playing a game of golf – even the most experienced professional – will get a hole in one during a game.

It is still possible though. Players do get them from time to time, but it’s not why most people play.

Similarly, at your viva it’s possible you’ll get no corrections but it’s not very likely. It’s possible your viva will be finished in less than an hour but there’s not much that you can do to bring it about. And it’s possible that you’ll be asked a question that brings you to shocked silence, but far, far more likely that you’d have something to say.

You didn’t do all of that the work for a quick viva, an easy time and a hope that you wrote your thesis perfectly. You did the work and in the process learned how to do it well. You learned how to be a good, capable researcher.

Now the viva is your time to show your examiners you can do it. It’s not a rush, it’s not a game and it’s not done with a hope that it will be done as quickly as possible.

Nathan

Important Past Dates

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A companion post to these thoughts from November 2024!

The first day of your PhD: it was a long time ago and you’ve come a long way since then.

Your first supervisory meeting: whatever your relationship over the course of your PhD, you’ve grown as a result of your supervisor.

The first new thing that clicked: do you remember the moment when you made a significant connection?

Your biggest setback: what happened and what did you do as a result?

When you finished your first draft of your first chapter: how did it feel to get it done?

The final problem: why was it a problem? How did you solve it?

Looking back over all of these, whether you remember exact dates or not, the important thing is that you have grown. You were good at the start of your PhD and you have become more.

Viva prep involves relatively simple work like reading and making notes. The more difficult work is to reflect on your journey, what happened, what it means and why it makes you exactly right for the challenge you’ll face at your viva.

Nathan

Mistakes Were Made

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Mistakes are a natural part of the PhD process.

They might happen by accident or through ignorance. You might make a mistake and learn from it. You might make a mistake and be confounded by it. You might have a mistake and not realise it. It could be inconsequential like a spelling miskate mistake or require a fundamental change to your thesis conclusions.

(thankfully, the latter is very rare!)

Mistakes are a regular part of the PhD and so talking about them in some form at the viva is almost guaranteed. There’s no set formula for responding to mistakes, but perhaps the closest thing might be to consider:

  • Why the mistake is a mistake;
  • How it might be resolved;
  • What you will do as a result.

Anyone can make a miskate mistake. It’s what you do as a result, depending on the situation, that matters.

Nathan

Up At The Top

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I like a good analogy, but have never been fully convinced of comparing the end of the PhD to reaching the top of a mountain. Yes, it might be an uphill struggle at times, but hopefully it won’t leave you exhausted, struggling for air and wearing many layers of extreme weather clothing!

The one element I like in the idea though is the view.

The view from the top of a mountain must be pretty special. The view from the end of the PhD is pretty impressive. Looking back and looking down you could see the route you’ve taken; you might remember challenges you’ve passed, the paths you navigated well and maybe even the places you had to take advice from others.

The viva is not quite the end of the PhD, not really, but like the top of a mountain it’s a good place to pause and check out the view.

How far you’ve come, how you got there – and possibly where you might go next.

Nathan

Differences Matter

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I couldn’t decide what to title this post. I was thinking about Differences Don’t Matter, then Differences Do Matter and then Do/Don’t! Maybe you can decide at the end which word seems best. Hopefully you’ll appreciate why this needed a little thought – and I’m still thinking 🙂

 

Some differences don’t matter when it comes to the viva and viva prep. Your thesis might be bigger than your friend’s, but you still just need to get ready. That difference doesn’t make a difference to the work involved.

You might have an examiner who is an expert whereas your friend had someone more general. They had their supervisor present but you feel that that’s not the right approach for you. These are differences, but do they alter the viva’s purpose or process? I don’t think so.

Of course, two big and important caveats:

  • differences like those above might matter to you because they do change things for you. A larger thesis or a different format might change how you need to approach your prep. Examiner A or Examiner B might change the situation for you.
  • some differences might necessarily have an impact to time, resources and the approach you take; if you have particular requirements that need to be met for your viva or viva prep – for any reason – then that could change the situation for you compared to someone else.

Maybe it’s as simple as this: differences don’t change the what or the why of the viva and viva prep. You still need to get ready. The purpose and general process of the viva remain unchanged. Some aspects just are.

Differences could likely change the how of the viva or viva prep: a specific approach might be particular to you or any other individual. Your needs might alter a very practical element of your prep or the viva day. Sometimes a difference could be as simple as how you feel – and what you might then need to do as a result.

Nathan

Your Best Is Enough

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If you can honestly say that you tried hard, learned lots and did the work for your PhD then that’s enough. If you can say that despite challenges and obstacles, setbacks and worse, that you did your best throughout your PhD then that’s enough.

Your determination, knowledge and capability helped you to keep going. That will help you to get ready for your viva.

Ultimately, it’s what will lead you to succeed in your viva.

Your best is enough.

Nathan

Some Examiners

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Some examiners say harsh things…

Some examiners don’t prepare well…

Some examiners treat the viva as box-ticking…

Some examiners use the viva as an opportunity to be cruel…

I can’t dispute the possibility of these kinds of statements. I’ve heard them before and I’ve heard fragments of enough stories to know that these statements are true.

…for some examiners.

Not all. Not most. In fact, only for a tiny percentage.

The vast majority of academics who take on an examiner responsibility try to do it well. The vast majority prepare and plan and get ready. They’re careful and thorough. Being asked questions might not always be comfortable – but the atmosphere in the viva is not totally dictated by examiners.

Some examiners could be described as not doing the job well.

Most examiners will do what’s appropriate.

Don’t let the rare exception skew your expectations.

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