Write It All Down
Before you begin your viva prep, write down everything you can think of that you need to do. This is before you make a plan. Get down thoughts of any little or big thing. After a few days of letting...
Daily viva help for PhDs
Before you begin your viva prep, write down everything you can think of that you need to do. This is before you make a plan. Get down thoughts of any little or big thing. After a few days of letting...
Most vivas result in success, the majority result in minor corrections and a fair percentage are only one to two hours long. Questions are challenging but fair for the person who has to respond to them. However: There are also...
Most vivas are not too long. They regularly result in minor corrections. They most often have two examiners, with a possibility for an independent chair as well. The great majority of vivas result in success. Remember all this, but also...
It feels like something big and earth-shattering has happened at least every few weeks for the last couple of years. The news starts to settle and something else comes up to disturb the peace. This doesn’t have to be on...
Vivas often conclude with a short break. Your examiners will need to have a final discussion between themselves to confirm the outcome, maybe to confer on corrections or even check what regulations says about how they pass the decision to...
Every viva is unique, but there are enough common experiences that you can help yourself be ready. It’s like walking through the countryside and you don’t quite know where your destination is. Your travelling companion asks where you’re going and...
Expect to succeed at your viva. There’s a variety of experiences, but this one is very, very common. Expect your viva to last hours. Expect your examiners to be prepared. Expect that you will be challenged by the process. Expect...
My wife and daughter love decorating gingerbread houses at this time of year. Sometimes they’ll work on two houses at the same time, one each. Their houses will be the same structurally with walls and roof baked from the same...
Is it possible to have a “bad” viva? There are lots of general expectations about the viva process. A reasonable expectation for the duration is two to three hours. There are outliers: it’s possible to be finished in less than...
That’s how a viva happens: you need to have your examiners there. You can’t do it alone. Before your viva: Be sure you know who your examiners are and what they have done. Checking their recent papers will be enough....