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Author: Nathan

Nathan

Questions About Questions

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Your examiners will ask you questions. They have to: it’s an essential part of the viva process. They will share opinions or make statements to encourage you to make a response but they couldn’t get through your viva without asking a question.

Engaging with a question could be as simple as pausing to consider what was asked, thinking about what you’re going to say and then respond as clearly as you can. If a question was surprising or had an unexpected element you might want to reflect further:

  • Did I understand this question correctly?
  • Why is it surprising? (if it is)
  • What do I know about this examiner and their work?
  • What information do I know that might be relevant?
  • What could I check in my thesis that might help?

It would be wrong to expect every question in a viva to be mind-meltingly almost-impossible. They won’t be.

It’s right to remember that if you encounter a tough question that there is a lot you can do to engage and respond.

Nathan

3 Kinds Of Viva Prep

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Rushed: done in a hurry in the days leading up to the viva.

Worried: done while wondering whether or not the right things are being done.

Overinvested: a LOT done, far more than needed, either through concern something will be missed or perfectionism.

Thankfully, these kinds of viva prep aren’t the only options!

You can do the combined opposite of all of these to get ready. Plan ahead so there’s no rush. Find out what you really need to do so you have no worries and use your time well. Let’s define this fourth kind of prep as…

Relaxed: done over a suitable timescale for the candidate, with clear activities and goals that lead to being ready.

Nathan

Challenging

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It’s natural to not want to talk about challenging parts of work or research in your viva. It’s human to focus on the good stuff and hope you won’t need to explain something tricky. It’s not wrong to be worried or have concerns about what might happen.

Rather than simply worry, maybe it’s better to confront the problem and do something – even something small – to improve the situation.

  • Can you think of a paper you struggled to understand? Take another look and find one thing you can make more sense of now.
  • Is there a concept in your field you often struggle to explain? Try again. Find the tricky point and come up with an idea.
  • Do you know of a question you really don’t want to be asked in your viva? Spend ten minutes unpicking why you don’t want it, what the issue is and what you could do to respond to it.

The viva is full of challenges, big and small, simple and complicated. Not all of them can be known in advance, but if you are aware of challenges don’t simply avoid them. Spend a little time exploring why it’s a challenge – then a little more on how you could engage with it.

Do more than worry.

Nathan

“Not Like I Thought”

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It’s one of the most common things people say about the viva.

I believed my examiners would grill me but instead we just talked about what I had done…

I thought I would go blank but it was just good to be discussing my research…

I expected that I would be there for hours and hours, but it was all done by 1pm…

In my experience there is a massive mis-match between what PhD candidates generally expect from their viva and what happens when they meet their examiners. Typically, this is because the candidate expects it is going to be far more dire an experience than it actually is!

It’s good that vivas tend to work out well, but it would be better if people went to them knowing more of what to expect and thus get ready in a more positive frame of mind.

So what can you do? Don’t just listen to the person on the internet. Talk to your friends. Talk to your colleagues. Talk to your supervisors. Read the regulations. Read blog posts and articles describing real experiences. Through all of this try to arrive at a good, positive idea of the viva that is ahead of you.

Nathan

Tweaks & Nudges

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It can take a candidate some time to read their whole thesis. A mock viva is hours of prep and then the event itself. Sitting with your thesis to add notes to the margins and other annotations can also take a while.

These kinds of work are necessary. There’s no substitute for them but you can also improve your preparation – and how ready you feel – by doing little things too.

  • Write down one thing every day that you are proud of in your research.
  • Check one list or short summary that you have recorded previously.
  • Re-read a single page of your thesis that is really good.
  • Listen to one song or piece of music that helps you feel confident.

There’s a lot more you could do. Little things add up. There are big tasks you have to complete to be ready for the viva, but lots of small tasks that help too.

Nathan

Timing

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If you check the viva regulations and talk with friends who have been through the process then you can start to appreciate the possible timing of your viva. Ask how long people had to wait for a viva date and how much time they were given to complete corrections.

Details help because at some point it will be your turn, your time – and like everyone your time is filled up already.

You have work and family and friends. You have responsibilities, obligations and the things you actually want to do. You have enough stuff already in your life and with your viva there will be new things to do.

  • You need to arrange a date that works for you.
  • You need to do the work to get ready.
  • You’ll probably have to do work afterwards to make a final version of your thesis.

Check the regulations and ask your friends to get a sense of when and how you’ll need to do things for your viva. Use the information to plan for how this will impact your life.

Nathan

Definite

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Expectations for a viva fall within ranges.

There are common lengths, probable questions and likely areas of interest. It’s not as simple as rattling off a bullet point list of what will happen. There are ranges of aspects to consider and knowing about them helps. Generally, it’s clear to see what’s involved with a viva.

It also helps to remember what is definite about your viva.

You did the work. You wrote your thesis. You developed and became a better researcher. You know who your examiners are. You can prepare for your viva.

There are ranges of expectations for a viva but a lot you can know for sure about yours. Explore and remember all you can about both areas as you get ready to meet your examiners.

Nathan

Prep Club

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I often describe the work of viva prep as being similar to the work of a PhD. The work has a different focus but it exercises the same knowledge and abilities. For the most part it continues to be something that a candidate would do alone.

But does it have to be work you do solo? Whether or not you have friends and colleagues around you who are also getting ready for their viva, do you know people who could:

  • Be in the same space as you while you read your thesis, so that you’re not alone?
  • Bounce ideas around with you about how to annotate your thesis?
  • Go for coffee and listen to you talk about your research?
  • Help you even more by having a mini-viva with you?

If you know fellow PGRs who are also preparing then even better, but start by considering who your allies are. Start by asking for the support you need, if you need something.

The first rule of Prep Club is you tell other people about your need for Prep Club.

Nathan

Summary & Memory

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Writing a summary of some aspect of your thesis or research before the viva can do a lot of things to help you. It forces you to focus on something, to highlight the best parts or the most difficult sections and can really support you as you fine-tune your thinking.

It’s important to also recognise that creating a summary can help your memory too. It helps embed ideas. You don’t need to memorise your thesis, or a list or a page of notes, or anything like that. Your examiners want to talk to a person and hear their research, their story and what that means. They don’t need you to recite your work to them.

The focus of writing a summary can help boost what you remember for the viva. You know enough and have done enough or you wouldn’t be working towards finishing your PhD. A little more work can help you remember what you need for meeting your examiners.

Nathan

The Many Ends

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Submitting your thesis can feel like a finish line has been crossed.

Passing your viva could be the end – but for most PhD candidates there is another step of submitting corrections, then having them approved.

Then there’s the final thesis submission.

And still there’s more because a PhD journey isn’t really over until a candidate has graduated. They have to have the opportunity to go across a stage and shake someone important’s hand while dressed in their academic finery!

 

For some candidates this still isn’t the end because they continue the work. Or perhaps they continue thinking about it. For some, there’s also an aspect of being a postgraduate researcher that they need to unpack afterwards. What did all of that mean? What have I done? And what now?

There are lots of ending points of the PhD. The finish line isn’t submission or the viva. It helps to know what the practical process is, but that’s easy to find out from regulations and asking others.

It may help even more to think ahead and consider what the end of your PhD really means to you.

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