My Comfortable Shoes
I didn’t feel particular nervousness about the viva, but I don’t remember feeling great about it either. To feel a tiny bit better I wore my most comfortable shoes. I continued to do this for years afterwards when I was...
Daily viva help for PhDs
I didn’t feel particular nervousness about the viva, but I don’t remember feeling great about it either. To feel a tiny bit better I wore my most comfortable shoes. I continued to do this for years afterwards when I was...
I like thought experiments, both philosophically and in fiction. It can be fun to ask what if? and then follow that thinking to see what might happen next. It’s useful in the kind of work I do too, thinking through how...
For all the nerves you might feel, despite any knocks to confidence or worries about research, it’s worth remembering that if you are headed towards your viva date you are precisely where you’re meant to be. You did the work....
You need to feel prepared and confident for your viva. What does that mean for you? I don’t know. I can make some guesses: You might feel you need to read your thesis a lot, so it sticks in your...
At the start of a new academic year I’m reminded of how much my life has changed over the last few years; while for the most part I am very happy with where I am now, I still remember vividly...
When have you been stretched during your PhD? What projects or work have you done that was a challenge to your skills and knowledge? I think it’s unhelpful to view the PhD (and the viva) as the most awesome and incredible challenge...
Two words I wish someone had shared with me over my PhD journey. Presenting helps in so many ways to build someone up – both for the challenges of doing a PhD, succeeding in the viva and being more ready...
How would you describe an ideal examiner for your viva? Think about the qualities or attributes that they might have. Describe their research. There might not be an individual you know of who meets these criteria. It may be close though:...
Where does the time go?! Just like that autumn is around the corner, Christmas is really not that far away when you think about it and 2023 is within shouting distance! Of course, there’s no suddenly about it. Day by...
With hindsight my PhD journey feels a lot like the movie Groundhog Day. Every day was get up, go to the office, do some maths, go home, go to bed, get up, go to the office… And so on. There was...