Finding Problems

I found problems in my thesis after submission.

They weren’t so terrible.

I found typos and underlined them in red. They were mistakes, maybe a better proofread could have got them, but they would be easy to fix.

I found sentences that were clunky and could be improved. I made a note in my margins and made sure I could see them clearly and explain them well if they came up in the viva.

My examiners found problems in my thesis and asked about them at the viva.

That was more uncomfortable than the typos and bad sentences I found.

They showed me places I had made but not explained assumptions. They tested me on the ideas I had dropped in without exploring why they were needed.

It wasn’t awful but if I’d looked at my thesis differently (as I was writing and preparing) I might have thought more about how to explain things, rather than have to think on my feet at my viva.

The problems my examiners found were a little uncomfortable at my viva but they gave me space and time to respond. They didn’t make me feel bad. They didn’t make me feel small. They offered me the opportunity to explore what it was about.

I and my examiners found problems with my thesis before my viva but the problems weren’t an issue.

How will you respond to problems that you find? And what can you do to be ready for the unknown problems your examiners might ask about at your viva?