Enthusiasm
You can be enthusiastic for the viva and also feel nervous about it too. They’re not mutually exclusive states. Rather than think of ways to combat nervousness, could you think of ways to boost your enthusiasm? To my mind, there’s...
viva anxiety
How To Answer Difficult Questions
In some cases, you won’t be able to. The viva is not a question and answer session or a quiz. Some questions won’t have memorisable facts that you can serve up to your examiners; instead, you will have to offer...
Nervous or Anxious?
Some candidates feel nervous because of what they did in their thesis. Is it enough? Some people feel nervous because of what they haven’t done. Have they missed something? Some feel nervous because of who there examiners are. Will their...
Feel Like It
If the thought of meeting your examiners and having your viva doesn’t fill you with joy or excitement, what can you do? How can you get yourself to a state where you feel like having your viva? Five quick ideas!...
Yikes!
Outside of ghost stories and horror movies, there’s not a lot to be scared of on Halloween. The frights are all make believe, costume and shadows serving to send shivers down our spines. For a moment, perhaps, we feel a...
Do You Feel Nervous?
It’s not a bad thing if you feel nervous before the viva, or at the start. It’s probably not comfortable. Nervousness can sometimes grow into feeling overwhelmed or anxious because – but by itself it’s not a terrible state. Nervousness...
In The Way
If you feel worried or anxious before the viva then stop and ask yourself, “Why?” What is getting in the way? For example, if you feel unprepared it could be that you’re pressured with the time available. It could be...
Nervousness To Spare
You might be nervous for your viva. Your examiners could be nervous about doing a good job. Your friends and family might be nervous for you. Your supervisors could feel some nerves about the outcome. Everyone nervous because it, your viva,...
Worst & Best
It’s normal to be nervous for your viva. It’s understandable if you have worries or feel anxious about what could happen. It would be very human to think about what might go wrong – but rather than focus on the worst...
Worry
It’s Friday the 13th and I’m not worried. I’m not particularly superstitious, so when this date rolls around or a black cat crosses my path or I spill some salt I don’t worry that that means something bad is about...