Talking In A Furnace

I read my thesis. Made notes. Talked with my supervisor. Read papers. Got ready.

And never once thought about the actual space I would have my viva in.

My viva was in early June 2008, first thing in the morning in a top floor seminar room that got full sun from dawn through to the early afternoon.

During the first heatwave of the year.

It was hot when we began. It got hotter as we went on. And my viva, with a short break, ended up being four hours. It was an exhausting situation by the end. The room was incredibly stifling and uncomfortable. We made it through, I passed – and thankfully didn’t pass out due to the heat!

All of which is presented as a dramatic encouragement to check your viva space out in advance and think about your comfort for the day.

Most in-person vivas take place in fairly anonymous seminar rooms at your university but you’ll always know the date, time and location in advance. You can check out the space, think about your needs and the situation for your viva.

Then act accordingly – because if it’s going to be a hot day you’re going to need to take that into account!