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...
Your examiners want to read a good thesis with interesting research. They want to follow the viva regulations for your institution and meet the expectations of your field or disciplines. They want to engage with a capable, knowledgeable candidate. They...
I think a huge part of viva confidence for a candidate is based on feeling comfortable when talking about their research. Examiners need to ask the candidate questions, they need to share opinions and they need the candidate to respond...
The chapters in your thesis might have titles, but what are the headlines? How could you summarise what they’re all about in a few short sentences? What details or terms do you need to emphasise? What points must you get...
What are the best bits of your thesis? What are your favourite memories of doing research? What stands out when you think about how you’ve developed as a postgraduate researcher? It’s important to spend time to reflect on difficult things...
It’s not enough to plan your viva prep and write read my thesis: you have to spell out what you’re trying to achieve by doing that. Don’t just pencil in a date for your mock viva: what do you want...
What viva prep actions would have a great impact on how ready you were for your viva? I’m thinking about the Pareto principle – in brief, that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes – and I wonder how...
What could you do to get ready for your viva? A lot! For example you could: Annotate your thesis to make a better version for yourself. Brief your friends and family on how they could support you. Create a cheatsheet...
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...
The Kauffman polynomial. Two-variable polynomials for unoriented links. Genus 2 mutations. Reidemeister moves. These were all things I knew and needed to know in order to do my PhD research – but which I also needed to get my head...