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Tag: the PhD journey

Nathan

Challenged

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What’s the biggest challenge you overcame during your PhD?

What was a significant challenge that you faced while writing up?

What surprised you about the challenges you found while doing your research?

What do you anticipate being a challenge as you get ready for your viva?

And do you have any thoughts on what might be a challenge at your viva?

 

Examiners might not ask questions directly about PhD challenges but reflecting on them can be a helpful reminder that you have overcome a lot.

Consequently, you are capable of overcoming the challenge you will find at your viva.

 

PS: looking to explore the challenge of the viva in more depth? Take a look at my Viva Survivor session on March 27th 2025. Registration closes soon for this live webinar – and includes a catch-up recording if you can’t attend on the day.

Nathan

Just Yesterday

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My life has moved on a lot since my PhD – but there are aspects of the first week of being a PGR that I remember as clearly with a pin sharp image and in 3D Surround Sound audio.

I remember what it felt like to walk in to my office for the first time. How it felt to get going again after a year’s gap from my Masters. Looking at half-remembered notes of a topic and rebuilding those ideas. The early conversations and confusion, “So what do I do?”

 

I can remember all of that well. With years of hindsight I see the difference between Nathan-in-October-2004 and Nathan-in-June-2008. The latter knew a lot more than the former! He had done a lot, but he didn’t think about it that way. He had results but he didn’t value them as much as he could have.

Both of those Nathans were quite different, except that both still continued to not feel confident.

 

At times the first day of my PhD and the first minutes of my viva seem like they were just yesterday. And sometimes they feel like a million years ago or that they happened to someone else.

I would encourage you to look back a little as you come to the end of your PhD journey. Hopefully you’ll look kindly on the former-you; at the very least realise that you have come a long way, growing in knowledge, understanding and skill.

And hopefully you’ll realise that that growth and achievement is a good foundation for feeling confident at your viva.

Nathan

Airbrush

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There’s a lot you might need to focus on from your PhD journey as you prepare for your viva: your contribution, the work you put in, time invested in building your skills and knowledge.

As you take time to prepare consider that it could be time to let some other things go.

Let go of disappointments. Don’t dwell on your failures, except what you learned from them. Airbrush out things that drag on your confidence. Leave behind past frustrations that aren’t helping you get ready.

What do you need to forget from your PhD journey? What can you leave out of the story you tell yourself of how you got this far?

You don’t have to focus on your whole PhD journey to find confidence and feel capable for your viva.

Nathan

Keep Going In Difficult Circumstances

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How did you do it?

An assumption: however enjoyable, rewarding, satisfying and interesting a PhD journey can be, there are always difficult circumstances that are part of the process.

So given that assumption, how did you do it? How did you manage to keep going in those difficult circumstances?

Or, to simplify, how did you survive?

 

I’m not suggesting that any difficult circumstances are fair, right, justified or should be shrugged away. Difficult covers a wide range of things and some situations can’t be excused.

Whatever they were, you made it this far.

You managed to keep going. Part of that is knowledge, capability and work. You applied yourself. Effort lead to results in one form or other.

Part of it is simply determination: if you made it through it’s because you kept going.

Whatever the situations and however you did it you have found yourself on a path to success. You submitted your thesis. You’re doing the work to get ready for a successful viva.

 

It’s easy sometimes to think of these things like knowledge, capability, work and determination as somehow separate.

We can put them at arm’s length, other things, when in fact it’s you.

How did you survive? How did you manage to keep going in difficult circumstances?

Every answer may be unique but at the core there is always a simple truth.

You did it – and that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Nathan

Goodbyes

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Goodbye to your office and officemates perhaps, to a community of fellow travellers on the road to academic success.

 

Goodbye to the piles of paper and folders of files. Whatever your future plans you might be letting go of a lot of stuff.

 

Goodbye to your institution? Maybe. Goodbye to where you live now? Perhaps. There can be a lot of logistics and a lot of feelings that go with moving on from the PhD.

 

Goodbye to the You-That-Was-A-PhD-Candidate. Hello to the You-That-Is-A-PhD-Graduate.

Hello to You-Who-Survived – you managed to keep going in difficult circumstances.

 

At some point after your viva you’ll have to say some goodbyes. And at some point you have to figure out what all of that means for you. Take your time.

Say your goodbyes. Be ready for the feelings. Be ready to say a few hellos too.

Nathan

Imperfect Metrics

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Viva success is not based on how many days you showed up to do your work.

Success isn’t determined by the number of chapters you have written, the number of papers you cited, how many conference talks you’ve delivered or whether you have several publications out there.

All these numbers can give a boost to your confidence though. The numbers mean you did something, repeatedly, and over a long period of time.

You need to look a little deeper for proof of your knowledge and capability as a PhD candidate, but a good starting point might be the imperfect metrics of a few numbers that show you did the work.

They count for something.

Nathan

Qualified

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Three qualified people is what you have, at a minimum, at your viva.

Every viva in the UK has one candidate and at least two examiners.

The latter are qualified because of how they are selected. They need to meet criteria, such as having a doctorate, experience and training. There will be a specific reason why they were asked to be your examiners rather than someone else.

You are qualified because you did the work. You invested the hours. You made something. So you’re capable now and qualified to be at your viva.

 

Remember: qualified is not a synonym for perfect. No-one at your viva is perfect or is expected to be perfect. You’re all just continuing to demonstrate your best and most capable selves.

Nathan

Your Viva, Your Prep

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There are regulations, trends for the viva process and departmental good practice which can give you an idea of what your viva might be like – but then your viva will be one of a kind, unique and never repeated.

There are a lot of well-founded good ideas for the general process of viva preparation, both in terms of what someone could do to get ready and when – but your situation is unique, your preferences are your own and you have to make it work well for you.

 

Vivas are unique to the individual, their research, their thesis and their circumstances – even while there are lots of things that can be certain or expected about the process.

Viva prep is the same: unique to the individual but grounded on good practice and useful ideas that are applicable by any candidate.

What do your PhD circumstances mean for your viva? What do they mean for your viva prep?

Nathan

It’s One Day

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That’s the viva: one day after many days.

A few hours after several thousand hours.

One conversation after many conversations.

One more challenge after many, many challenges.

 

Your viva is a few hours on one day. A conversation that matters. A real challenge after you have already overcome a lot of challenges. It’s not trivial but nor is it so far above and beyond anything you’ve done and everything you’re capable of.

You did the work over many thousands of hours. Show up and do a little more.

Nathan

Don’t Wait

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Don’t wait until your viva day to think about how you explain your contribution.

Don’t wait until your viva day to wonder about what your examiners might ask.

Don’t wait until your viva day to experience what it’s like to be asked a question about your work.

Don’t wait until your viva day to find out what vivas are like.

Don’t wait until your viva day to know whether or not you’re ready.

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