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Tag: viva worries

Nathan

At First Glance

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Rescued baby hedgehog turns out to be hat bobble (BBC News)

This news story has been stuck in my head for over six months: a well-meaning member of the public took a hair bobble to a wildlife rescue centre because they mistakenly thought it was an abandoned baby hedgehog.

Awwwww!

 

And because of the way my brain works it made me think of the viva and all the things that are mistaken about that.

  • Candidates mistake corrections for failure, when really they are just part of the process.
  • People mistake examiners for the enemy, when in fact they’re there to do their job and do it well.
  • Questions are mistaken for criticisms, opinions are mistaken for facts and experiences are mistaken for the whole story.

At first glance there’s a lot about the viva that can seem negative – but that doesn’t come from the viva itself. Perception plays a big part and perception can be distorted by stress, nerves, the situation and skewed expectations.

Before you worry and before you act, make sure that you’re considering something real – and not just a metaphorical hair bobble!

Nathan

The Supervisor Wish

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Let’s imagine your supervisor could fix one problem you have about your viva. What would you wish for?

  • Inside information about an examiner?
  • More confidence at responding to questions?
  • Certainty that your thesis is good?

Now temper your expectations! Your supervisor, good as they are, is unlikely to be able to simply solve your problems.

But if you know what your problem is they can probably help.

In fact, if you can think clearly and can state your what your problem or issue is, you’ll probably find that you, they and lots of other people can do something to help the situation.

You don’t need wishes or supervisor magic to make a difference to a viva problem.

Nathan

The Nightmare Viva

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What’s the worst thing that could really happen at your viva?

Failure is a very, very remote possibility. If you have real concern you should talk to your supervisors and friends – and unpick whether failure is more than a very, very remote possibility for you.

So then, what’s the worst thing that could really happen at your viva?

Perhaps you could be asked to complete corrections that you weren’t expecting or don’t want. That would be a nuisance but corrections come after the viva, after you’ve passed. You need to do the work to complete your PhD, but that’s all. Do them and you’re done.

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

Maybe an examiner could make a comment that you don’t like or ask a question you don’t want. It might be an uncomfortable moment but it wouldn’t stop you passing.

What’s the worst thing you could find at your viva?

Your viva could be long. It could have questions you don’t like. You might freeze or forget something. Your viva might not follow the trends of expectations you had heard about.

 

And yet: you’d still succeed. Because whatever happens, you still would have done the work. You still would have prepared. You still would be ready.

Maybe none of the things above match what you think the worst thing might be at your viva. It’s all hypothetical. Some or none of the above and perhaps none of your deepest worries might come true. They’re just traces of nightmare fuel for you, secret concerns that perhaps you’ve missed something in some way and that will spell the end.

It won’t be.

There is an end coming – the end of your PhD – and it’s a good thing. It might be different than you expect and it might have surprises you don’t like, but they’ll pass. You’ll be on to whatever you’re dreaming of next.

Nathan

Viva Omens

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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 you have a problem.

And if your examiners are subject experts or take a long time to discuss something or if they have done research in something different you are no more likely to face a bad experience.

Some things just are. Typos are simply missed, silence happens when people think and pause. Examiners need to be experienced and can take their time.

None of these are omens of a bad viva or a bad outcome.

Nathan

Red, Yellow, Green

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A viva prep exercise to sort out worries and concerns.

Take two sheets of paper. On one of them, write down all the things you can think of that make you worried or concerned for your viva.

  • Think about gaps in knowledge. What else do you need to know and what are you uncertain about?
  • Reflect on your thesis. What do you need to do to feel confident about talking about your work?
  • Think about yourself. What do you need to do to feel good about presenting yourself as a capable researcher in the viva?

When you feel you’ve emptied your head, make three columns on the second sheet of paper. Title them Red, Yellow and Green. You’re going to make three lists, but these aren’t static records so you might want to write in pencil or use sticky notes to capture thoughts.

Red, Yellow and Green are going to be your way of solving your worries. You can’t just leave them. You have to work past worries to help get ready for your viva. Use the columns in the following way:

  • Red: this column captures worries that you don’t know what to do with. You’re aware of the situation, but you haven’t figured out what will resolve it. Items in this column need solutions. Ask yourself what you could do or who you could get help from.
  • Yellow: move items from Red to Yellow when you have an idea of what to do. Maybe you need to perform a particular task (like annotate your thesis or have a mock viva). Maybe you need to ask someone for help. Items in the Yellow column are in-progress; you’re on your way to resolving the problem.
  • Green: move items from Yellow to Green when you have sorted out the worry. It’s no longer a problem. Now, it serves as a record: you’re making progress, getting closer to feeling ready for your viva.

It’s natural to have worries or problems related to the viva. Succeeding at the viva matters.

If something is bothering you it probably won’t go away by itself. Get the worries out of your brain so that you can focus on doing something about them.

Nathan

Figuring Out Fears

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It’s not irrational to be nervous about your viva or concerned for what might happen. The outcome matters, it’s important, and naturally anyone who faced a viva in their near future could feel a little nervous.

If you’re anxious, worried or afraid though, you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Shying away or hoping you just feel better soon won’t help. You need to do something.

Ask yourself three questions, in sequence:

  • Why do you feel the way you do?
  • How might you address the problem?
  • What will you do?

Start with why. Unpick what is really causing the problem for you. Perhaps you’ve found something in your thesis and you know it will need to be discussed. Maybe you don’t know something about the viva process and that gap of knowledge is causing worry. Once you know why you feel the way you do you can start to make a change.

Ask yourself how you might address the issue. There will be a way to move forward; there will probably be lots of things you could do. Ask for help. Ask for advice. At the viva you have to respond to questions by yourself but before then there are lots of people who can provide support.

Decide what you will do. You can get help but you have to act. If there’s a problem, you have to take steps to get past it. You’re the only one who can.

It’s not wrong to be nervous and it’s possible you might face problems.

But you can figure them out, move past them and have a good viva.

Nathan

Yikes!

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Outside of ghost stories and horror movies, there’s not a lot to be scared of on Halloween. The frights are all make believe, costume and shadows serving to send shivers down our spines. For a moment, perhaps, we feel a little anxious before we realise there was nothing to worry about.

And outside of apocryphal tales and half-rumours, there’s not a lot to be scared of by the viva. Worries spring forth from not-knowing, easily dismissed when you find out more about the process. Fears are largely unfounded, nerves building on feeling just how important the occasion is – evaporating in the daylight of the actual experience or by building confidence.

It’s not wrong to feel concerned about the viva. It matters, and it’s understandable to feel anxious. Eventually though, you will realise there was nothing to worry about.

Nathan

Clearing Out Viva Doubts

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Viva doubts thrive in wondering whether or not you really have made a contribution. Viva doubts prosper in worrying that you’re not quite good enough. Viva doubts linger around stories and what-ifs, concern that things aren’t going to go well or that others’ experiences won’t match your own.

Viva doubts are cleared away by knowledge. Asking questions leads to information that helps remove them from your mind. You can ask your supervisor about your research to gain certainty that you’ve made a contribution. You can ask yourself questions to reflect on your journey and see that you’ve become even better than you were. You can ask friends about their experiences to really see a set of good expectations for your viva.

Ask the right people the right questions and there’s no home for doubts about your viva.

Nathan

Breaking Up Your Viva

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Breaks are an important part of the viva process. For length, for comfort, for medical reasons – there are lots of situations where a break is needed. It’s right to expect your examiners to offer them; it’s right to ask for one if you need one.

Concerns about long vivas often stem from a candidate wondering how they could perform well over long periods of time. Breaks help. Perhaps lots of worries about “what happens in the viva” follow from missing pieces of information.

You can ask for a break if needed, so that aspect no longer needs to be a worry.

What other worries do you have? Who could you ask to help you with them? What could you do?

How can you break up your concerns so that they become something you can resolve?