Umbrellas
Viva prep is a bit like carrying an umbrella on an uncertain day. You look out the window. There are clouds. They’re grey but not dark grey. It might rain but it might not. You could leave the umbrella and...
Daily viva help for PhDs
Viva prep is a bit like carrying an umbrella on an uncertain day. You look out the window. There are clouds. They’re grey but not dark grey. It might rain but it might not. You could leave the umbrella and...
That’s the viva. You’re doing something you have done many, many times throughout the last few years – thinking about and talking about your research and your ability as a researcher – and this is the last time you’ll need...
Corrections. Amendments. Changes. They’re called lots of things, but the requests for alterations to your thesis after the viva really are just the very last, final tweaks to make your thesis the best it can reasonably be. The vast majority...
Your examiners will have a plan for what they want to talk about at your viva. This isn’t a script. They’re not asking a set list of questions like a questionnaire. They’re using pre-prepared questions and points to prompt the...
What do you need to take to your viva? Your thesis. Annotated in advance, carefully read and available as a resource to help the discussion. Pen and paper. Something to write on and something to write with, according to your...
Ask for help when you’re getting ready for your viva. Talk to your friends and colleagues in your department. Get them to listen to you talk about your work or ask about their experiences. Get the benefit of their help!...
There are lots of statistics about the general experience of the PhD viva – but we can’t combine them to find out the probability of a particular outcome. Want to know how likely it is you’ll have a four-hour viva...
Hope is what we have when we have little leverage on the outcome. I encourage PhD candidates to prepare for their viva rather than hope it will just all go well, because preparation leads to a better experience and a...
Every viva is unique but no viva should be a great unknown. Regulations and stories of viva experiences give a shape to the general process; departmental and disciplinary practices give some fine detail to specific viva norms. Taken together these...
If a friend or colleague asks for help with their viva prep then assist them if you can. Ask what they need and help with their request as much as you’re able. Perhaps they need to know what to expect...