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Tag: viva help

Nathan

Advice = Options

Daily Post

If you’re finishing your PhD then you will know a lot of people who have advice for you (sometimes whether you want it or not).

Friends, colleagues, supervisors, researcher-development staff, random internet people with their daily blogs… How do you decide who to listen to and what to do, particularly when it’s for something as important as getting ready for your viva?

First, consider the source: do they have experience, knowledge or understanding of what they’re talking about? Or are they just repeating what they’ve heard on the grapevine?

Second, consider the context: is the advice specific or vague? Did you ask for it or was it just offered? Does it meet your needs?

Third, consider your situation: can you put this advice into practice? Do you feel that it will be of benefit?

Let’s be charitable and say that any advice you’re offered is, in some way, well-intentioned.

Advice gives you options: it gives ready-made ideas for what you could do, but you might need something different. You don’t have to accept it. You can say thank you but leave it to one side. You could be inspired to do your own thing and make your own option.

Ask for advice, listen to advice but make sure the option you take fits your needs and circumstances.

Nathan

Help If You Can

Daily Post

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 from a viva. Share your experience or share what you’ve heard from trusted sources. Point them in the right direction for more help.

If they ask you to listen or to ask them questions then try to be there for them. Do this regardless of whether you’ve had a viva. When you’re asked to listen or discuss, help flows both ways. You learn while you offer support: the experience you get being in conversation helps you too.

There are valid reasons to say no to helping – you are busy or you really feel like you’re not the right person – but if you can, help your friends when they need someone.

Nathan

The Viva Help Parcel

Update

Viva Survivors has almost 2500 posts of viva help. There’s also the old podcast archive, resources and more. If you need viva help there is a lot of it freely available on this site! I’ve created a few publications too:

  • Keep Going – A Viva Survivors Anthology was first published in May 2022 and is my first big collection of Viva Survivors posts, the best of five years of the daily blog.
  • 101 Steps To A Great Viva is the zine that I Kickstarted last summer. Surprisingly it has 101 steps to a great viva! 101 practical steps any candidate can take to help get ready for their viva.

Following a few recent requests I’ve made my last print copies of both Keep Going – A Viva Survivors Anthology and 101 Steps To A Great Viva available for sale as a bundle that I’ll send to your letterbox 🙂

Front cover of "Keep Going - A Viva Survivors Anthology" by Nathan Ryder. Shows five postgraduate researchers sat around a table doing various research-related tasks. Cover by Maria Stoian

If you want print copies of these two helpful viva publications then go to this link – Viva Help Parcel – and look at the images and description to see if they might be for you. I suppose the questions to consider are:

  • Do you want a book of 150+ blog posts from the Viva Survivors blog?
  • Do you want a zine with 101 practical actions to help your viva?
  • And do you want both of these sent to you through the post?

If you answer yes to any of these then please check out the Viva Help Parcel, available with UK shipping included for £20. There are very limited quantities available and I have no current plans to produce more. Thank you for reading!

Cover of 101 Steps To A Great Viva

And PS: If you’re looking for ebooks or pdfs then you can find those here! 🙂

Nathan

Address Your Concerns

Daily Post

If you have any worries or concerns about your viva then take steps to address them.

It sounds like really obvious advice, right?

But I talk to hundreds and hundreds of PhD candidates every year who are worried about their viva. They aren’t sure what to expect. They worry about technical aspects of their research. Some are afraid of meeting their examiners.

And for some reason they keep hold of those worries rather than take actions to work past them.

I love helping people, but for their own sake, I do wish for candidates to realise that they can find help or release worry sooner. Ask your supervisor. Check the regulations. Do something rather than hold on to worry.

If you have a worry about your viva, don’t let it fester. Don’t let it become something bigger than it needs to be. If you need to know something or you aren’t sure then take steps.

By all means ask for advice – ask me! – but take steps rather than just worry.

Nathan

The Birthday Sale Post

Daily Post

It’s my birthday today and so begins a one-week sale on all of the ebooks and resources you can find at my little online store!

You don’t need to do anything to take advantage of the sale – no codes are needed, no mailing lists have to be signed in advance – you can simply go to this link and save some money on some great resources like Keep Going, 101 Steps To A Great Viva or The Viva Help Bundle.

I won’t say how old I am today, but will simply note that this sale – which runs until January 25th – will save 43% off the regular prices at my online store.

If you’re looking for viva help and like a little bargain then take a look. Please feel free to share the news of the sale too.

Right, I’m taking the day off now! Back tomorrow with more viva help 🙂

Nathan

101 Steps To A Great Viva

Update

I am very happy to share that, after my recent Kickstarter project, 101 Steps To A Great Viva is now available to buy! 😀

Cover of 101 Steps To A Great Viva

Thanks to the generous support of backers I was able to finish this project and create a small print run of this new guide. Copies are now available for purchase from that print run – and 101 Steps To A Great Viva is also available to buy and download as a pdf.

 

Wait, what is this? What are you talking about?

…are two questions you might be asking!

101 Steps To A Great Viva is a 24-page guide to what a PhD candidate could do to help themselves before the viva. From learning about expectations to researching examiners, and from planning viva prep to building viva confidence – this helpful little guide is my attempt to gather together useful, practical advice that any PhD candidate can put into action.

I’ve helped over 8000 PhD candidates with their viva prep in the last decade or so: all of that experience, the questions I’m regularly asked, the worries I hear, the advice I offer – it’s all in 101 Steps To A Great Viva, framed as clear steps for PGRs to take as they prepare to get ready.

How can someone get this?

There are two ways!

First, you could get one of the limited number of print copies still available after the Kickstarter. You can get these from the Books page on this site. For £7 you’ll get a print copy sent through the magic of the Royal Mail (but note that I can only ship to UK addresses).

Second, you can buy and download a pdf copy from my Payhip store for £5: there’s an infinite number of copies so you’ll always be able to get one this way, wherever you are in the world! 101 Steps To A Great Viva has an A5 page size so it will read very well on most screens and devices.

I am excited and happy to finally release 101 Steps To A Great Viva. It’s taken a lot of work but been a lot of fun and I’m delighted at the thought of it helping a lot of people. Take a look, ask me about it if you want to know more and please pick a copy if it sounds like it might help.

Thank you for reading!
Nathan

 

PS: if you’re looking for a lot of help, check out the Viva Help Bundle on my Payhip store, which brings together digital versions of 101 Steps To A Great Viva, Keep Going – A Viva Survivors Anthology and my new, short writing game for viva confidence, How You Got Here.

Nathan

Last Call For Summer Sessions!

Update

I have three viva help sessions running this week and there’s still time for you to join me!

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva is a tried and tested 1-hour live session of viva help. I’ve delivered it almost seventy times in the last three years. In one hour I break down what the viva is all about, how you can engage with it and what you can do to pass – and we still have time for your questions too!

The seven reasons I share are not tiny things. They’re not hacks, tips or dodges. They’re seven fundamental things to know, explore and hold on to. 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva is a 1-hour confidence boost. I’m sharing it three times over the next three days. You can find out more at these registration links:

Registration closes an hour before the start of each session; I won’t be running more until at least the autumn.

If you’ve already had your viva or have valued my writing or sessions in the past then please pass this on to someone who might need 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva.

Thank you for reading and thank you for your support!

Nathan

Nathan

Looking For Viva Help?

Update

This is an extra blog post today to say thank you for subscribing. This post is public on Viva Survivors but I won’t be publicising it on Twitter etc. It’s really just for you.

I’ve been writing this blog for over six years now and I have no plans for stopping. There are so many reasons why I keep doing it.

  • I know that people, like you, subscribe and read what I write.
  • I know that it helps people.
  • It’s helped me to have a practice, inspiration and an ongoing project.

It really does help to know that so many people like you subscribe. Thank you.

If you ever read a post and it sparks a question or you’re getting ready for your viva, do get in touch. I’m always happy to respond with some thoughts.

And if you’re looking for viva help right now then please take a look at my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions.

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva is a tried and tested 1-hour live session where I break down what the viva is all about, how you can engage with it and what you can do to pass. It’s a 1-hour confidence boost and I’m thrilled to be offering at different times on three consecutive days.

If this sounds helpful, check the dates and register soon: space is limited and I won’t be running more until at least the autumn. To continue saying thank you for your support, if you book in the next three days and use code CONFIDENCE you can save 20% on the registration.

If you’ve already had your viva and have valued my writing or sessions in the past then please pass this on to someone who might need 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva.

Thank you for reading and thank you for your support!

Nathan

Nathan

The Big Announcement

Update

I’ve written a helpful little guide to the PhD viva and I need your help to make it a reality.

From today until May 31st I’m running a Kickstarter campaign to fund a print run of 101 Steps To A Great Viva. I’ve nurtured this idea for a long time and I’m thrilled to be sharing it now.

Draft interior pages from 101 Steps To A Great Viva

If you find Viva Survivors helpful then please take a look at my Kickstarter. I think you’ll like what you find and if you think it’s worth backing there are some great rewards to say thank you:

  • Copies of 101 Steps To A Great Viva, including limited earlybird pledges at the time of writing!
  • Signed copies of my last book Keep Going – A Viva Survivors Anthology.
  • Your name listed in the special thanks section of 101 Steps To A Great Viva.

There are also a limited number of very special pledges to have a 1-2-1 conversation with me over Zoom! We can talk viva prep, advice, respond to particular questions and just go over anything you need for your viva.

Thank you so much for reading and do take a look at 101 Steps To A Great Viva. I’m so happy to share this with you today and I hope it can help you or someone you know. Pledge your support and help me make a print run of 101 Steps To A Great Viva!

Draft cover of 101 Steps To A Great Viva

Nathan

Another Little Announcement

Update

(The Big Announcement is coming on Tuesday 16th May!)

I’ve written a short and helpful guide to getting ready for the viva and you can help me publish it – in fact, I would be very grateful if you did!

Cover of 101 Steps To A Great Viva!
My draft cover!

101 Steps To A Great Viva is a 24-page zine packed with practical steps for any PhD candidate. I’ve been thinking about this for years while I’ve been writing the Viva Survivors blog and delivering webinars. For the last six months I’ve been planning, writing and rewriting and I’m really pleased with how it has finally come together.

The Kickstarter to produce a print run of 101 Steps To A Great Viva will launch on Tuesday 16th May. I need your help to make my little helpful guide a reality. Please go to the Kickstarter pre-launch page today and use the “Notify me on launch” button. This does not commit you to supporting the Kickstarter or paying any money, but it will help the project to be shared more widely and you’ll be emailed by Kickstarter when the campaign starts.

On Tuesday, when the campaign launches, you’ll be able to decide if you want to pledge money to back it. If you do I’ve got some great rewards to say thank you, depending on your level of support:

  • Signed print copies of Keep Going!
  • Your name in the thanks section of the zine!
  • 1-2-1 Zoom conversations with me!
  • And, of course, 101 Steps To A Great Viva sent through the post!

Thank you for reading. Please use the notify button on the Kickstarter pre-launch page and help me make a print run of 101 Steps To A Great Viva a reality 🙂

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