Considering Outcomes
A few loose thoughts… Viva regulations are impersonal. They give structure. Section 2, paragraph 3, check appendix 2A. Regulations say yes and no. They specify and describe: this is a pass, this is a fail. But viva outcomes...
viva outcomes
Why Most Candidates Get Corrections
Because there are typos in their thesis and passages that need editing. That’s it! That’s all! Enough said! OK a little more… 🙂 Writing a book is hard. Proofreading is hard. Combining these both in a project...
“No Corrections”
“No corrections” is a possible outcome for candidates at their viva. Not for many: it seems to be the case for around 10% of UK PhDs. You can hope you get this outcome, but that’s about it. “No corrections” is...
Predicting Failure
It’s clear that most PhD vivas results in success. Ask your graduate school. Look online. Talk to people who have been through the process. The vast majority succeed. Corrections are part of the process and not a failure or setback....
Flaws & Problems
After submission it’s likely that your thesis will have flaws. It’s possible that your thesis may have problems too. Both of these have the potential to be talked about in the viva and have consequences for corrections afterwards. Flaws are...
Viva Omens
Some things just are, in life and in the viva, Typos don’t indicate that you’ll face stern questions or tough corrections. Silence in the viva doesn’t mean that anything is wrong. If you pause to think then your examiners don’t expect...
Spoiler Alert!
You’ll most likely pass your viva! It really is the most likely outcome. Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be nervous. It doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to prepare for or you can just take time off until you meet your...
Second Chances
I have heard stories of candidates that are asked to correct and resubmit their thesis after their viva. Resubmission is a formal process; it can mean that the candidate has to have a second viva. It could be that the...
The Last Correction
Most PhD candidates are given corrections to complete after the viva. Typically examiners give a list of typos, clear instruction on sections that need to be revised and so on. While they’re often not too numerous or too onerous, corrections...
Unreasonable Corrections
After the viva most candidates will be told to complete corrections. For most, corrections will be simple things: amending spelling mistakes, making ambiguous sentences clearer, breaking up long and clunky paragraphs, and so on. While no candidate wants to get...