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Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 05

Update

In 2012 a little spark came to me: “I wonder if people would be interested in hearing viva stories from PhD graduates?”

Eight years ago I realised I couldn’t continue the podcast but wanted to use this space to still do something helpful. A spark: “I wonder if people would be interested in daily viva help?”

Sometimes before you have a concrete idea you have a spark, a what-if, an “I wonder…” that prompts action and leads to something good.

This kind of little notion is what lead to Viva Survivors Select 05, The Sparks Issue, which is out today. In over eight years I’ve written some very long posts and also quite a few short ones as well. For this issue I just wanted to look at those short posts with big helpful ideas.

Cover for Viva Survivors Select 05, The Sparks Issue. Shows two textboxes in the foreground with the title and author (Nathan Ryder) and the publication month, August 2025. Background is black with yellow-orange sparks stirred by a breeze.

The Sparks Issue contains twenty-five posts from the Viva Survivors archive covering a range of topics: viva prep, the PhD journey, building confidence and a lot more. As with previous issues of Viva Survivors Select I’ve also written two new pages: a helpful reflection on how the little things in your PhD journey can have an impact and an original reflective writing game to explore how you’re feeling as you get ready for your viva.

Viva Survivors Select 05 is out now for £3 and joins the first four issues in this ongoing project of monthly viva help. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please take a look at and consider buying The Sparks Issue.

Please do pass on details of this issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Symbols & Signs

Daily Post

There are many elements of the PhD journey and the viva process that are symbols or signs. Some you need and some you don’t. Some you can choose and some you can’t.

  • A completed thesis is a symbol of the work of your PhD.
  • An annotated thesis is a sign that you have taken time to prepare and get ready for your viva.
  • A piece of paper with questions held in your external examiner’s hand is a sign of the respect that they have shown your work.
  • The outfit you choose for your viva can be a symbol to help how you want to feel.

For the symbols and signs you can’t choose, remember what they really mean. For the ones you can – and particularly for the ones that have an impact on you – choose carefully.

Nathan

Push & Pull

Daily Post

Your success is partly the result of many actions that push your work forward and create your thesis contribution.

Your examiners will want to know all about this at your viva: the story of your research, the actions that got it done and the result now that your thesis is finished.

The actions that push your work forward also pull you along. Through the process you learn, understand more and become a capable researcher.

Your examiners will want to know all about this at your viva as well: what you know, what you can do, how you think and more.

Remember in viva prep to reflect on and review both your thesis and yourself.

Nathan

Worries Are Human

Daily Post

Viva worries are a very typical, human response to an important situation.

It doesn’t mean that something is necessarily wrong. Given the journey that leads to the viva, the known and imagined aspects of the exam and the hoped-for outcome, feeling worried is a very natural response.

It’s also a first response: a first feeling upon thinking about the situation.

You can do more than just worry: you can ask for help, learn more about the viva and generally take steps to get ready. You can take action get past worry.

 

Worry doesn’t come from nowhere. Something prompts it.

Worry isn’t the end either. You can do something about it when it finds you generally – and you can do something specifically to help with your viva.

So, if you feel worried, what will you do?

Nathan

Disciplinary Expectations

Daily Post

Regulations and general viva expectations are helpful to steer viva prep. They can also impact how you think and feel about your viva.

Take a little extra time to check and be sure whether there are any particular expectations within your discipline:

  • Are you more likely to have a different examiner setup?
  • Might you be more or less likely to have an independent chairperson?
  • Is it typical for people from your department or discipline to give a presentation at the start of the viva?
  • Are vivas in your field more likely to be quite long – or quite short?
  • And are there any general questions that seem common?

Ask around. Explore the expectations, if there are any, that seem particularly prevalent in your area. A little extra knowledge can only help you as you prepare for your viva.

 

PS: Need to know more of what to expect at your viva? Follow my Eventbrite page to get notified of upcoming independent viva help webinars!

Nathan

The Best Support

Daily Post

What were the best references that supported your research?

Who were the most helpful people who have supported you?

What practices have you used for getting things done?

Whatever your best sources of support – whether they’re papers, people or practices – it’s a good idea to think about them as you get ready. In some cases, it might be a good idea to consult or use them one more time.

You did the work but everyone needs support.

Nathan

Five Times Five

Daily Post

Make a list of five papers you could read as part of your viva prep.

Make a list of five pages you’d like to be able to find easily in your thesis.

Make a list of five people you could talk to about your research.

Make a list of five days you could take a small break (even an hour) in the coming weeks.

Make a list of five questions you could write about before your viva.

 

Five lists with five points on each. They won’t take long to think or record.

Twenty-five helpful actions or activities you could do as part of your viva preparations, ready to go.

 

PS: Looking for more practical viva prep ideas? Explore June’s issue of Viva Survivors Select, my monthly viva help zine where I curate posts from the Viva Survivors archive!

Nathan

Favourite Days

Daily Post

I was feeling a little wistful recently as I looked back two decades to my own PhD.

What did I remember?

  • I remember sitting on a train one day when suddenly my research problem snapped into focus. By the time I reached my destination I had made the first breakthrough of my PhD.
  • I remembered attending residential workshops, meeting researchers from other departments and realised the variety of research that happened at Liverpool.
  • I remembered endless tea breaks with friends and colleagues.
  • I remembered taking over the often unused chalkboards in my office to write something out. I got stuck, called my supervisor and then realised the solution before he arrived. I remember feeling proud as I showed him a previously unknown result.
  • I remembered writing up my thesis and how it went much more smoothly when I planned my process.

I was trying to think of my favourite things from my PhD. Most of the things that came to mind also had some other aspect to them as well: something I learned, some small success or result.

 

Two thoughts came to me afterwards.

First, it struck me that it’s probably a good idea to think about your favourite days of your PhD journey as you get ready for your viva. You’re bound to think about success and growth and that can only be good for your confidence and preparation.

Second, looking back I didn’t count my viva as one of my favourite days. I don’t think that’s because it was one of my least favourite days! It’s probably more in the middle. There were certainly harder times and definitely better times too.

So: look back to help your prep and confidence, but perhaps don’t expect that your viva will be as terrible as you worry (or as great as your greatest days).

Nathan

Summary Success

Daily Post

Creating a summary of part of your thesis or research is a big win for viva prep.

A summary is an opportunity to gather your thoughts. You can take a little time to focus on something that matters.

A summary is a small project to make a helpful resource. You benefit from the mental effort to get it done and again by having something to refer to afterwards.

Take time to create a few summaries during your viva prep period. Think about what really matters in your work and what you might need to focus on in your viva to get started.

Nathan

Uncomfortable But OK

Daily Post

Your viva might be uncomfortable at times. Engaging with the discussion. Taking your time. Thinking and responding to questions you hadn’t considered. Simply the act of being there, being examined on something that you have invested years of work in.

Remember though:

  • You can know what to expect from your viva.
  • You can prepare and feel ready.
  • You can build your confidence to help with your nerves.

You can be uncomfortable, but you’ll be OK. Learn what to expect, prepare and build your confidence.

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