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Year: 2023

Nathan

Tell Someone

Daily Post

If you need help with some part of your viva prep, tell someone who might be able to assist you.

If you feel concerned, tell someone who might have experience or advice for your situation.

If you have questions about what to expect from your viva, tell someone who will understand and be able to share realistic expectations with you.

If you feel like you’re missing something in the weeks leading up to your viva, then tell someone who can offer considered advice to help you find what’s gone astray.

And if you want to mark your viva success when it’s all done, tell someone who will enthusiastically join in with your celebrations!

Nathan

Only You

Daily Post

Remember that your viva comes as a response to the work you’ve done. There may be regulations for thesis examination and ideas for what makes a “good viva” but yours is just for you, based on the thesis you’ve written.

Because it follows your work it’s a challenge that only you can rise to – and because it follows your work it is a challenge that you will rise to.

Nathan

Perspective, Not Perfection

Daily Post

As part of your viva preparations, make sure you have researched your examiners’ most recent publications. For both external and internal, take a look at their last two or three papers. Get a sense of their interests, the methods they use and the questions they have been considering.

Compare that with what you’ve done. Look for commonalities and differences, and build an idea of what that means for you, your work and your viva. Are there questions you might anticipate? Are there topics in your thesis that you might have to explain to them because they might be outside of their knowledge base?

Read your examiners’ recent papers to gain perspective. You don’t need to become perfectly aware of everything they have ever done or everything they currently do.

A little work will help.

Nathan

Before You Forget

Daily Post

There will be congratulations after your viva, from examiners and others, telling you how well you’ve done, how great you are and starting the necessary celebrations for a wonderfully big and amazing thing!

And before the celebrations really start to happen, take five minutes to make some notes. Grab a piece of paper, divide it into four and quickly jot down some thoughts:

  • What was the viva like for you?
  • What did your examiners ask?
  • What did you enjoy?
  • What corrections stand out to you?

Five minutes, four questions and one important task to complete before you forget. Those four questions and the notes you make could be a big help to you in the weeks that follow – or to others in the years afterwards.

Take the time to write a few things before you forget.

Nathan

Hold On To Confidence

Daily Post

It’s not wrong to feel nervous before your viva. It’s really important! It comes at the end of years of work and you want to succeed. It’s almost certain that anyone would feel a bit nervous, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be confident too.

Confidence follows your actions. It grows as a result of the things we do. Once you realise it for yourself, in and amongst all of the things you do and the success you achieve, you need to hold on tight. Don’t let it get away.

Remind yourself why you feel confident of your ability. What do you do? What have you achieved? What stats or highlights help you remember?

Keep doing the things that help you to be confident, and keep reminding yourself of how far you’ve come and why you’ve made it this far.

Keep going.

 

PS: At the time of publication there is a little under eight hours to back 101 Steps To A Great Viva on Kickstarter! This really is your last chance to be one of the first people to get my new helpful little guide. Take a look and back it now if you want to be sure to get a copy.

Nathan

Being Lucky

Daily Post

Don’t trust that you’ll be lucky and that somehow things will work out at your viva.

Instead, trust in the process. Vivas are governed by regulations, expectations and the culture of your department.

Trust in your examiners. They’ll do their homework, be well-prepared and be offering you the chance to engage with relevant and realistic questions about your thesis and more.

Trust in your work. You’ve invested years in it, after all, both in your research and your thesis. Trust that after all of that effort, it’s enough.

Trust in yourself. You’ve invested years in you too! Trust that after all of your work and determination, you are enough.

You are enough. You don’t need to be lucky.

Nathan

A Little Update

Update

Draft cover of 101 Steps To A Great Viva

In two days my teeny-tiny Kickstarter campaign to make a helpful little guide for the viva will finish. The campaign has been a lovely success and I’ll soon be producing a print run for 101 Steps To A Great Viva.

But I don’t know how many copies to make yet as there’s still time for a few more backers!

Maybe someone like you? If you’re looking for a clear, action-focussed guide to what you can do to get ready for your viva, then 101 Steps To A Great Viva could be what you’re looking for. It’s simple, direct and will be available very soon to send through the post.

Draft interior pages from 101 Steps To A Great Viva

I’ve been happily writing updates every few days over the last week as I describe the guide, the editing process and a neat little extra that will be included for backers if we reach a stretch goal I’ve set. Fundraising finishes on Wednesday 31st May at 5pm, in just over two days. I’ll have copies available to buy afterwards, but the Kickstarter is the only place you can get the additional rewards I’m offering. Backing the campaign and pledging support ensures you will get a copy of the guide – and you’ll be one of the first to get one too!

Please, if you’ve not looked already, take a look, tell a friend, share the campaign with others or support the campaign if you can. I’m thrilled to have made 101 Steps To A Great Viva and can’t wait to send it out into the world.

I hope I’ll send a copy to you.

Thank you for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

An Opportunity

Daily Post

Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.

I first came across this sentiment after my PhD was finished. I wish I’d heard it sooner. Every time I remember it I feel a boost for weeks afterwards as I’m working.

If a piece of writing is tricky then I remind myself that it’s a chance to figure out a good way of expressing something. When an admin process gets me down I realise I can explore ways to do things more simply or easily. And if a period seems like it could be very busy I start figuring out how to lighten the load.

All problems of one form or another. All opportunities to learn, develop, grow and change how I do things.

 

What aspects of your viva or viva prep seem like problems to you? Are they big or small? Have they been on your radar for a while, bothering you, or have they only recently started made an impact?

Whatever the problem, can you change how you look at it? Where is the opportunity? Can you learn something? Can you create a better position by “solving” your problem? Can you reach out for help?

Some problems go away by themselves, but rather than hope and be stressed later, act soon to take advantage of the opportunity before you. Work towards being ready for your viva, despite the obstacles and problems in your path.

Nathan

Not One Day

Daily Post

Your PhD success is hundreds of days of work – thousands and thousands of hours of learning, doing, achieving, growing, making, failing(!) and persisting. Your PhD is not defined by a few hours of discussion with two examiners. You need your viva to go well, but you need all of the work that comes before to get you there.

Your earlier success, all those years, helps you through the viva too.

It’s not just one day that determines everything. It’s one day when you get to demonstrate who you are, what you’ve done and what you can do.

Nathan

Short & Sweet?

Daily Post

Some vivas are less than an hour!

But you can’t realistically expect yours to be.

You can hope, but what does that do for you?

It’s much better to prepare for your viva and the discussion, rather than invest energy in hoping it will be over quickly.

 

PS: Something else that’s short and sweet is my helpful little guide, 101 Steps To A Great Viva! It’s on Kickstarter until Wednesday 31st May, raising funds to produce a print run. That goal has now been reached and I’m aiming a little higher so that all backers get a bonus resource for viva prep. You can find more details at this link.

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