Gaps & Holes
At the start of your PhD you have gaps: the things your research seeks to address. At the end of your PhD you have holes: the things you didn’t get to, couldn’t show or don’t know. Both need some of...
thesis
Strengths & Weaknesses
Your examiners will want to talk about the strengths of your work in the viva. They’re there to talk to you about your contribution. Spend time in your prep thinking about what makes your work strong. How is it new?...
Favourite Failures
I have failed many times. Three years ago I spent a lot of effort and time developing an independent viva preparation workshop. I found a great venue and booked it three times upfront. I spent a lot of time and...
Why Not?
Make a quick list, five things you wanted to do during your PhD, but didn’t. Perhaps you had wanted to explore a certain topic, but didn’t, or maybe you wanted to attend a conference but couldn’t. Why not? Examine your...
Done or Finished?
Two words that people use a lot around the end of the PhD. Finished makes me think that something is over. But there’s always more! More experiments, more words, more questions. So I don’t like finished for a thesis, a...
Current
“How long will your work be seen as current?” I don’t know how common this question is in the viva, but I think it is a fantastic question to explore in preparation. Get a piece of paper and jot down...
Your Questions
Your thesis has answers and ideas, but what were the questions that lead to them? And where did those questions come from? You’ll spend plenty of time in preparation for the viva reflecting on the whats and the hows of...
♥ Your Thesis
I think you can love your viva, but probably only after the fact. Before it you can be excited, but you’ll still be wondering, “What if…?” about something. You can look forward to it, and it will probably go well,...
A Haiku For Your Thesis
It can’t be perfect. It can be good, could be great, And you can be too. (many more haiku in the archives)
Perfectly Impossible
I got a note from an anonymous seminar participant: I have written the perfect thesis. Should I worry about the viva? If the first statement was true, I could see no reason why they should. If their thesis was perfect,...