It Depends
There are many questions asked about the viva to which a response has to begin with, “It depends…” Is it best to have an expert in my research area for an examiner? – It depends on what you think about the...
viva help
Asking Your Community
Who do you know who could help you get ready for your viva? Your supervisors can help with a lot: setting expectations, hosting mock vivas, sharing ideas of what examiners do – there’s a wealth of support from them potentially....
Three Mugs Of Tea
On any week day, before work really begins, I need to have had three mugs of tea. There’s nothing super fancy about the tea I drink. It’s not a special blend, made in an ornate pot or served with a...
The 2000th Viva Survivors Post
(I couldn’t think of a snappy name!) Except for the odd Christmas Day off here and there, I’ve now written and published 2000 days of posts on: viva expectations; viva prep; examiners; the PhD journey; and viva confidence. And a...
Lots Of Help
Did you know that there is a link on the Viva Survivors site that takes you to a random post? You can click here and the magic of the internet will, today, whisk you away to one of almost 2000...
Out Now: Keep Going – A Viva Survivors Anthology
I’m thrilled to announce that Keep Going – A Viva Survivors Anthology is out today! I celebrated with my book launch party yesterday and am now very happy that the book is available to buy. What is it? Here’s a little...
Interesting Times Forever
It’s two years since my world changed, just before the first pandemic lockdown in the UK. Two years ago today I shared Interesting Times, thoughts on where I was and where I might be going in the weeks that would...
5 Random Posts
Last year, with the help of a plugin, I made a little link that diverts to a random post every time it is used: www.viva-survivors.com/randpost/ I use it to find old posts to read. I look for little thoughts I...
The S-word
I try to be as careful as possible using the s-word. …should… You should get ready for your viva this way… You should be prepared for your examiners to ask… You should start your viva prep… Lots of well-meant advice...
7 Reasons, 3 Times
I’m happy that over the last year I’ve been able to continue sharing viva help to universities, as well as opening up my 1-hour webinars to PGRs directly. It’s been great to take the opportunity of delivering short sessions over...