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Year: 2022

Nathan

Thank Your Examiners

Daily Post

During a recent webinar I was asked if it was appropriate to send a thank you note to examiners after the viva. There must have been a strange mood in the postgraduate researcher hive mind because the next day someone asked if they should get gifts for their examiners.

While giving gifts is a nice thought it’s not appropriate to give them to examiners – particularly before the viva!

A thank you note or message after the viva could be a nice gesture though. A chance to say thank you, to ask any follow-up questions that you forgot or to ask about keeping in touch if that aligns with your future work goals.

If a thank you note, card or email doesn’t feel right to you though then still take a brief moment on the day to thank your examiners. Thank them for their time, for their questions and for being part of your viva.

Nathan

Why You?

Daily Post

If 99.9% of PhD candidates succeed in defending their thesis, why would you be any different?

You’re not the exception, you’re exceptional: hard-working, talented, knowledgeable, determined and capable. You might be nervous or have doubts; explore what these really are and get help if you need it. You might need to know more about the viva. You could need encouragement from your supervisors or friends. You could need help to get ready.

If approximately one in one thousand candidates fail at the viva, why would it be you?

Nathan

Tell Your Story

Daily Post

After your viva tell your story to anyone who you think it will help. Why you did a PhD, how you got through it, what happened at the viva – share practical help but also how it felt as you were working your way through. Help others see that they can make it through too, that it’s not luck or chance.

Before your viva tell your story to yourself. Remind yourself of what you did to get as far as you have. Find words to describe how you overcame obstacles and resolved problems. Help yourself see and believe that you are capable, talented and not lucky.

Nathan

Do This

Daily Post

Read your thesis. Write an overview. Have a mock. Congratulations you did it!

There is a lot of good, general advice for the viva but it can’t be reduced to an easy step-by-step instruction book. The unique nature of every viva, thesis and candidate mean that prep has to be individual.

And still: every submission period of prep work comes down to making time and doing the work. Reflecting, checking, thinking again, getting ready and reminding yourself that you are a good researcher.

Do the research, get your thesis done, do the prep – do all of this and you’ll succeed.

Step-by-step you go towards success.

Nathan

Pressures & Priorities

Daily Post

When and how do you get ready for the viva? How do you manage what needs to be done, especially considering that you’ve already got lots that you need to do?

Consider the pressures on your time and availability to get the work done. You don’t need thirty hours per week for a month before the viva; a little time each day can help. Focussed work helps you get ready.

If you have a job or responsibilities, if you’re looking for work or face other pressures then you can find time to get your prep done. Step back and look at the big picture. Find gaps to allow you to get the work done.

Consider that viva prep – even while getting ready for your viva – is probably not the number one priority in your life. Acknowledge that it needs doing, accept that there are other things that have to be your main focus, then plan out where and when you will do your work to get ready for the viva.

Sketch a plan over the period you think best, making sure there is enough time to do all of the things that will help you: reading your thesis, making notes, checking papers and rehearsing for the viva.

The pressures and priorities that are your personal situation can only be navigated by you. Step back: look at how things are and what you need to make space for. Then find a solution that works for you.

Nathan

At Your Viva

Daily Post

You can have reasonable expectations of what your viva might be like, but you won’t know until you’re inside it. You can rehearse responding to questions but you won’t know how you’ll really feel until they’re being asked by your examiners.

You can wait and anticipate and wonder what will happen – and then before you know it the whole thing will be done. All the time you spent getting ready, wondering how long you might be, and you might blink and miss what happens at your viva.

Nathan

Before You Move On

Daily Post

After your viva, before you are finished with your PhD completely, take a little time.

Thank everyone you need to thank.

Reflect on what you’ve learned over the years.

Decide on what you don’t need to take with you into the future – the number of papers and notes I’ve kept for fourteen years without needing them is astounding!

Find someone who needs help or advice and offer what you can.

Then when you’re ready, move on to the next big thing.

Whatever it is, as important as your PhD and viva were, I’m sure that what you do next will be even better.

Nathan

A Mini-Viva Reflection

Daily Post

A mini-viva is what I call one possible set of questions from the Mini-Vivas resource that I developed a few years ago. There are 7,776 possible combinations of five questions possible from that resource; of course, in practise this would lead to an even greater number of conversations between a thesis candidate and the person asking the questions.

While I think the best use for this kind of resource is to structure a conversation, as rehearsal for the kinds of questions and the situation one might find in the viva, it can be useful to use the questions as prompts for reflection.

For example, use the resource and take a sheet of paper; divide it into five equal-ish sections and roll the dice. You might find yourself reflecting on the following:

  • Where did your research ideas come from?
  • What did you learn about doing research?
  • What are the core papers that have guided you?
  • What are your main conclusions?
  • What are you taking away from your PhD?

Reflecting and thinking about questions can help, but can also lead to more abstract prep. Writing things down helps more: you’re forced to be concise and clear. Talking, responding to questions helps even more: you get feedback about whether or not you are really communicating – plus you open up the possibility of digging a little deeper.

There are 7,775 more combinations of mini-viva questions at the resource. Take a look and see if it will help your preparation in some way.

Nathan

Needing Your Supervisors

Daily Post

What do you need from your supervisors?

I only had the one. Throughout my PhD I needed him to explain things to me, particularly in the beginning. I needed him to listen to how I was getting on, and check my logic and reasoning. I needed a mentor and supporter and was very fortunate to have the person I did as my supervisor.

After submission I needed to talk, to explain what I had done and to see if those words seemed sensible. I needed someone who I could still turn to and check when my doubts overwhelmed my memory. I needed someone with experience who could help give me some sense of what my examiners might think of my research.

What do you need from your supervisors?

You might need them to tell you about the viva. You might need them to host a mock viva for you. You might need them to give you a different perspective or to tell you all about your external. You might need them to tell you why your examiners were good choices for your viva. And you might need them to be at your viva!

To get the help you need from your supervisors, you have to tell them what you need. You have to check how busy they are so that you can make any arrangements in a way that meet both your needs.

When you know what you need, ask.

Nathan

Little Things

Daily Post

If you’ve submitted your thesis but don’t yet have a date for the viva then it might feel early to prepare for meeting your examiners. Before you have a date it could feel like you’re aiming at a target that is vague or not quite real.

Viva prep is not so tightly timed, usually, that one has to wait for a date. At some point after submission you could simply start – but if you have other responsibilities or are worried that starting soon will mean you forget things, then you could do some of the following while you wait:

  • Read the thesis examination regulations for your institution.
  • Explore papers by your examiners to get a sense of their work.
  • Write one or two short summaries of some aspect of your work.
  • Have coffee with a friend and have a gentle conversation about your research.
  • Plan how you will do your prep once you know the date.
  • Read a couple of posts each day from a daily blog all about the viva…!

You could do lots of little things to help begin your preparation. You don’t have to wait for a date to start getting ready. Reflect and explore how you could use your time wisely.

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