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Author: Nathan

Nathan

The Posts Of Christmas Past

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When a pun title like this pops into your mind, you have to use it!

In writing this blog for so long, I’ve published a lot of seasonal posts at this time of year. Here are some of my favourites:

I also have to mention A Visit From St. Nate which is one of my most favourite pieces of writing on the blog! I had a lot of fun writing that, reading it aloud and making sure that the words fit the rhythm of the poem that it was inspired by.

I’ve written a few more seasonal posts this month. I hope you’ve found them useful too.

Nathan

Fun & Games

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The PhD journey is long, often tough and regularly features setback, failure and difficulty on the path to making a significant, original contribution.

It can also be very enjoyable, and while you can’t simply put all the obstacles to one side, it might help you more as you get ready for your viva to remember the good times.

  • When did you have fun while doing your research? What made those experiences fun?
  • Have you been able to challenge yourself to get better at something?
  • Was it possible to share your growth or your research with others?

Reflecting on how you overcame something can be powerful, but it’s also helps to remember those moments where you simply shone, where you enjoyed doing something that mattered.

Nathan

Gingerbread Houses

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My wife and daughter love decorating gingerbread houses at this time of year.

Sometimes they’ll work on two houses at the same time, one each. Their houses will be the same structurally with walls and roof baked from the same moulds. They’ll each take their own icing, sweets and chocolates to make their house look special.

A long time ago I made a present for someone at Christmas-time, by taking a gingerbread mould and making the walls out of chocolate. It looked good, but the walls were so thick I felt sorry for their teeth afterwards…

 

All of which makes me think of vivas of course! Vivas follow patterns, the same way that gingerbread houses follow the moulds they’re baked in.

The dough in a gingerbread mix might be more or less well-combined than is typical. An ingredient might be over-represented in sometime or lacking entirely. Gingerbread houses follow patterns in the same way that vivas do. They can also vary wildly based on how people engage with them – or decorate them!

And sometimes they can follow the same pattern but be very different because the ingredients are different, like the chocolate house I made.

Patterns and common expectations still create different experiences. Your viva will be unique, but not unknown.

It’s not hard to get a good sense of what to expect – and expect that your viva will be one of a kind.

My chocolate house from long ago, plus my wife's far better house from that year! A light gingerbread house decorated with white icing and smarties roof, next to a dark chocolate house made from the same mould, decorated barely with white icing, smarties and a stacked cookie chimney
My chocolate house from long ago, plus my wife’s far better house from that year!
Nathan

SWOT Your Prep

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SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It’s often used to help assess a situation where you need to come up with a plan. By exploring each area you have all the information you need to plan your next steps.

So why not apply it to viva prep?

  • Strengths: What do you have taken care of? What resources do you have? What can help you as you prepare?
  • Weaknesses: What are you currently lacking? What are you not looking forward to? What are you less sure of?
  • Opportunities: Who can help your preparation if you ask for support? Are there events in the near future that could help you get ready?
  • Threats: Are there things that might get in the way of your preparation? What obstacles do you have to avoid as you prepare?

Taken together, all of these explore the environment you have for getting ready – and can help you figure out the environment you need for viva prep.

Nathan

Preparation Beats Hope

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It’s not wrong to hope that your viva goes well but working towards being prepared is far more valuable.

You can hope your viva will be short but it’s better to read, rehearse and take steps to being ready to respond to questions.

You can hope for “good examiners” or take a little time to learn about who you’ll be talking to.

You can hope for a great viva. That’s not a bad thing to do but it’s far better for you to do the work, prepare and aim to make your viva as great as it can be.

Nathan

Keep A Record

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From day one of your PhD keep a record whenever you achieve something.

  • Learn something new? Write it down.
  • Finish a project? Write it down.
  • Read a helpful paper? Write it down.
  • Complete a task even when it is difficult? Write it down and underline it.
  • Thrive in a challenging meeting? Write it down and add an asterisk.
  • Present your work in any format? Write it down, underline, asterisk and break out the highlighter!

From the start of your PhD, keep a record of your achievements – and by the end not only will you have a very impressive record indeed, but you’ll have a strong sense of confidence that your talent, capability and knowledge have grown.

 

If today is not day one of your PhD – if it’s more like day one thousand, say – you can still get some of these benefits for yourself.

Start keeping the record today and invest some time in looking back. Remember the times when you learned something, finished a project or read a helpful paper. Make note of the challenging tasks you persevered with, when you rose to the challenge of a discussion or presented your work.

Day one or day one thousand, there’s always time to build up your confidence for your viva. You always have an opportunity to do something to build the certainty that you’ve done something good in your research and that you are good enough as you are.

Nathan

Your Choices

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Important questions in the viva are interested in the why of the decisions you made during your PhD.

Why this topic?

Why this method rather than that one?

Why did you decide to focus on this approach?

Take a little time in your preparation to review the choices you’ve made and the reasons that supported them.

Nathan

Find Out More

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A lot of viva worries come from not knowing what to expect – so find out more.

Read the regulations. Ask your supervisors. Talk to friends, talk to post-docs, talk to people who have been down the path to the viva before and succeeded.

Check online. Read a blog or two. Listen to a couple of podcasts. Explore the many resources produced by your institution and others.

It’s not wrong to be worried about the viva. There’s work to do and academic culture makes the viva seem a bit daunting.

There’s a little mystery in the process and what to expect, but a wealth of information in so many places that can help take away any worries you have – or at the very least help you to figure out what you can do to beat those worries back.

If you feel worried about the viva, go find out more.

Nathan

Who Are Your Examiners?

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Unless they are both well-known to you before you submit your thesis, take some time in your viva prep to find out more about both your internal and your external.

  • Ask friends and colleagues what they know of them. What work do they do? What are they known for?
  • Explore their recent publications to get a sense of their interests and research focus. Is their work similar to yours or very different? Are there interesting connections between your areas?
  • Talk to other academics about the role of the examiners. How do they approach the task? What do they look for in a good thesis?

Your examiners, whoever they are, are not just two random people. They are chosen for particular reasons. Explore that choice with your supervisors, explore your examiners’ work and explore the role of the examiner to be well-prepared for meeting them in your viva.

Nathan

Do & Don’t

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Do read your thesis in preparation for your viva, but don’t feel that you have to memorise it to be able to respond to questions well.

Do check the regulations to know about various outcomes, but don’t focus too much on major corrections as you are less likely to receive them.

Do check your examiners’ recent work to have a sense of their interests, but don’t become an expert in what they do – unless you already are!

Do prepare well for your viva and don’t forget that you are building up from a solid foundation of talent, knowledge and experience from your years of work.

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