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Nathan

Opportunities At The Viva

Daily Post

In my experience PhD candidates worry a lot about general questions, specific questions, attitudes and the atmosphere of the viva:

  • What if my examiners don’t agree?
  • What if they disagree with me?
  • What if I forget something?
  • What if something goes wrong?

With even a little thought and exploration there are many small and helpful steps that any candidate can take to overcome viva-related obstacles – but I wonder sometimes if a simple change of focus could help more with a lot of problems.

What if, instead of looking at the obstacles that might occur, we looked first at the many opportunities that can be found at the viva?

  • You have the opportunity to share your work.
  • You have the opportunity to show that you’re a capable researcher.
  • You have the opportunity to ask for expert opinions.
  • You have the opportunity to have a thorough and interesting conversation.

And you have the opportunity to succeed!

 

PS: Want some ideas on how to make the most of all of these opportunities? Then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

Times Change

Daily Post

Check the thesis examination regulations for your institution before you submit your thesis.

It’s not that long ago that video vivas would have been exceptionally rare. Who knows what else could have changed in the regulations for your institution?

Perhaps the process for submitting your thesis? It’s probably worth checking that. Also check the expected timescale for your submission period, the time and process for completing corrections and a dozen other things.

Don’t rely on the experience of your supervisor or your friend: regulations change or are updated every few years. Make sure that you’re doing what needs to be done in the way that’s expected.

 

PS: What do you do when you’ve got the regulations all checked and sorted in your mind? If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

Different

Daily Post

There are regulations that cover every viva at your university: strong ideas of what needs to happen at a viva.

There are viva expectations that filter out into common understanding: patterns, trends and descriptions that guide future candidates (and examiners) in their anticipation and preparation.

There are viva norms for your department or discipline: common ideas of practice for the viva and for what you need to have as a candidate, both on the day and in your past experience.

All of these aspects combine with you and your thesis to create a different viva every single time – and still you might expect your viva to be even more different from other vivas because of your personal circumstances, your specific thesis, your personal needs and more.

 

Get a sense of what might happen from regulations, expectations and norms. Get a sense of what you, your work and your situation might do to make changes from past experiences. Get a sense of what you might need to do or ask for to be ready.

A different viva doesn’t mean a difficult viva or anything worse.

 

PS: checking regulations is a good use of your time when you get to submission. There’s a lot you can do then to get ready and work towards viva prep. If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection, out this week, and featuring twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

“No”

Daily Post

It might be the start of your response to a particular question at the viva.

It’s unlikely to be the only thing you can say or the only thing you need to say in response to that question.

 

(see also: “I don’t know”, “My supervisor told me to” and “I’ve not thought about that before”)

Nathan

Their Problem

Daily Post

If your examiners have an issue with something in your thesis then their problem is your problem.

Kind of.

Maybe.

First, it helps to ask, “What is the problem?”

Or even, “Is it a problem?”

Another person’s opinion doesn’t mean there is automatically a problem. It could just be a different perspective. Or a question of style.

If there is a problem it might then help to ask, calmly, carefully, “Why is this a problem for you?” Once you know why there is an issue for your examiner then you can start to think about how you can address it. If there is an unmet need you can consider how you bridge the gap. If you have to simply say more or do more then you can think about how that could be done.

Your examiners’ problem is your problem – but first be sure that there is a problem! Don’t rush to solve a situation that simply requires you to listen. Listening first is the way to approach any situation that may or may not be a problem at your viva.

 

PS: of course, you might find something that feels like a problem before you get to your viva. You can approach that with the same calm too and check if it’s really a problem before you get frantic! If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

Tidy Preparation

Daily Post

Get organised for your prep when you submit your thesis.

If you need help then let people know as soon as possible.

Gather up your supplies: notebook, stationery, printing, files, links and more.

Make a plan. Make two! Sketch out how you might get the work done in several ways to see what works best for you.

As you work keep track of what you’ve done. A record of finished tasks will help you feel better as you get closer to your viva.

Keep everything nice and tidy. A little thought will help you get through prep well.

Nathan

What Your Supervisor Can’t Do

Daily Post

They can’t find all your typos when you ask for feedback on a thesis draft.

They can’t tell you what questions you’ll get at your viva.

They can’t know what your examiners will or won’t like.

They can’t see ahead with absolute certainty about the level of corrections you’ll need to complete.

And they can’t take over for you in the viva!

 

What they can do is continue to support you. They can give you feedback. They can give their opinions on the viva: the process, expectations, who your examiners are and what they do. They can talk about common questions and offer advice.

They can encourage and support and send you on your way – to do what you need to do at your viva.

Nathan

Competent, Capable, Confident

Daily Post

If you can demonstrate competence in the various skills and processes that are expected of a researcher like you then you’ll be more capable overall.

If you can recognise in yourself that you are a capable researcher – because of what you can do, what you know and how you think – then you’ll feel more confident for your viva.

Feeling competent is only part of feeling capable; feeling capable is only part of feeling confident. Cover the basics but also think about what else you can do to build up all of these feelings as you finish your PhD and get ready for your viva – and the future beyond your doctorate.

Nathan

Scoring Points

Daily Post

Your examiners aren’t making a tally of your contributions as you engage in the viva.

That response was a 5… I think we can give a bonus mark for that observation…

They don’t ask harder questions to give themselves a chance to mark you down either. They might make notes on what you say and how you say it but it’s not for points. The viva isn’t a great zero-sum discussion where only one side can “win”. The discussion is built together.

The viva is an exam but it’s not about scoring points.

Nathan

Building On Difficult Circumstances

Daily Post

Every PhD contains difficult circumstances. Reflecting on how you get through them – how you keep going – is a useful way to explore how you have you grown and how you can approach future challenges.

(because you will definitely face challenges in the future)

Writing about the challenges you’ve faced can be a good way to think through your PhD journey and what it means. Bring to mind one of the difficult circumstances you’ve overcome. Then reflect and respond to these questions in sequence:

  • Why did you face difficult circumstances?
  • When did this happen during your PhD?
  • What was the impact of the situation?
  • Who did you turn to for support?
  • How did you overcome the circumstances?

Thinking about the whys and hows of a situation – particularly how you overcame it – can be helpful for the future. Thinking about why something happened and what you can do differently can prevent similar circumstances from occurring again. Thinking about what you have learned as a result can help you to feel more capable when dealing with problems.

Recognising that you overcame a significant challenge can help you to feel confident when you find yourself confronting challenges in the future.

(because, again, you will definitely face challenges in the future!)

Every PhD candidate encounters difficult circumstances. It’s a part of the journey towards completing a doctorate.

Difficult circumstances don’t have to define who you are and how you go about your research but reflecting on them can be helpful as you work towards completing your PhD.

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