Opening Line
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead...
Daily viva help for PhDs
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead...
I knew what troubled me before the viva. I couldn’t explain the background of a particular chapter in my thesis. I understood the results perfectly. I didn’t understand the set-up. I tried to avoid thinking about it. Methodology, results, conclusions,...
My daughter will be four in the autumn. For some time now, “Why?” has been the most-uttered expression in and out of our house. Why is the sky blue, why did you say that, why are we having pasta for...
It’s not uncommon for researchers to be preparing for their viva at the same time that they’re applying for jobs and going for interviews. And vivas and job interviews are often compared to one another. I think there’s a superficial...
At the start of my workshops I ask people for their questions about the viva. Anything and everything, procedure, practical stuff, advice, fears, really anything. My philosophy is “once people have an answer, they can move on, they don’t have...
In a workshop a few weeks ago someone asked, “How can you keep the viva short?” I took a long pause before answering. My answer: “Not much.” You can answer questions well – providing the information or analysis requested, explaining...
We have a “go bag” packed in our house. In case of emergency it has water, a torch, change of clothes and so on all packed and ready. What if you woke up late on viva day? What if you...
I’ve heard there are three common responses to anxiety or fear: freeze, fight or flight. Now, my PhD is in pure maths, so I have no idea if that’s 100% right, but it got me thinking about stress over questions...
I felt like I had done enough viva preparation when I went to bed on the evening of June 1st 2008. I’d read my thesis. I’d made notes. I’d dug out all of the papers I thought were useful. I...
Two to three hours is pretty standard for a viva. Sometimes less, sometimes more. Two to three hours is the right neighbourhood. Three to four years is pretty standard for a PhD. Sometimes less, sometimes more. Three to four years...