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Nathan

The Differences

Daily Post

Every viva is different because every candidate’s circumstances are different.

Your research is different. Your thesis is different. You are different!

Your examiners are not your friend’s examiners. Your work exists in a different context to every other PhD journey.

And yet, overall, your viva will be similar to others. Regulations create processes. Experiences create expectations. Local culture in your department gives rise to ideas of how things “should” be done.

Similar and different.

For the most part, focus on the differences that matter and are important. If something feels like it will have an impact then decide what you will need to do as a result.

Otherwise, find out how and why most vivas are similar. Figure out what you need to do to get ready.

Pay attention to what makes your work different from what has come before: it’s likely that that difference creates something valuable and worth talking about.

Nathan

Backups

Daily Post

It is better to use your viva prep time to focus on the best rather than the worst case scenario. Give a few minutes to consider the possible backups for the most important parts of your viva and prep.

  • If your supervisor wasn’t available to facilitate a mock viva then what would you do instead?
  • If your preferred external had to cancel the month before your viva then who is next on the list?
  • What would you do if something unexpected comes along to change your plans for viva prep?

Backups can be the very specific – like alternate examiners or other people to rehearse with – or just the general idea of a backup plan for prep in case something interferes with your situation.

For your peace of mind as you prepare, make sure you have some backup plans for getting ready.

Nathan

Thesis Vs Viva?

Daily Post

“To what extent is the outcome based on the content of the thesis rather than the discussion in the viva? Is there an approximate ratio or is it totally random?”

Here’s another question from a webinar I delivered just before my summer break! I’ve been thinking this over for weeks. It’s a good question because it gives me another perspective to describe what is happening in the thesis examination process.

Here’s my almost-stream-of-consciousness reflection:

  • The viva outcome is not random but is there a ratio?
  • A ratio makes me think of recipes: three parts flour to two parts water and so on. But the viva is not as simple as that.
  • You can’t have a viva without a thesis. So that’s our starting point.
  • But: you can’t have a thesis without a candidate. So that goes back even further.
  • The viva process is an examination of the candidate.
  • The thesis is an artefact that represents the work and achievement of the candidate.
  • The thesis has to be good enough as an output and the candidate has to be good as a researcher.

So how about this as a response, not an answer, to the original question:

The outcome of the viva is based on the work and ability of the candidate. Examiners have to assess the thesis as an output of the candidate’s work and talk with the candidate to give them opportunities to say more about the thesis, their process and themselves.

The outcome isn’t based on some unpicking of thesis and viva but of considering the candidate: their work, their contribution and themselves.

 

PS: registration opens tomorrow for my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars. I have dates in October, November and December for this helpful 1-hour live session which I think of as a confidence boost for the viva. I’ll cover why PhD candidates succeed and what you can do to help how you approach this important event. Registration for all autumn dates opens tomorrow and there’ll be an announcement post going up then too. You can also follow my Eventbrite page or the individual event pages you can find via this link. Thank you!

Nathan

Confidence Is A Practice

Daily Post

You can’t simply hope that you’ll feel confident for your viva. You have to practise at it.

What can you do?

  • You can put yourself in situations that give you experience and knowledge that you’re capable.
  • You can reflect on your past successes.
  • You can use different techniques – music, objects, reminders – to help you hold on to your confidence.
  • You can learn more about the viva to help see how you right you are for the situation.

Confidence isn’t a hope-based feeling. You can build it. You can cultivate it like a gardener, trying different things until you have what you need.

So what do you need to feel confident for your viva?

Nathan

The Cost Of Prep

Daily Post

In cash terms viva prep is low cost: a little stationery that you might not have bought otherwise is all you really need. You can be fancy and spend more on a good notebook or some very nice bookmarks but that’s about it. The cost doesn’t need to be great.

Viva prep doesn’t cost a lot in time either: twenty to thirty hours for most candidates. That’s not nothing of course; it might mean that you have to make choices about things you have to put off for later. However, with just a little thought you can at least make sure that you create a good plan that doesn’t add stress to the cost of prep.

There might be an emotional cost to prep: looking back might make you nostalgic. Looking ahead could make you a little concerned. And you might feel frustrated by the odd bit of work in the here and now.

Still, the cost of viva prep is low – especially compared to the cost of not being prepared.

 

PS: if you’re looking for more viva help then set a reminder for one of my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars in the next few months. I have dates in October, November and December for this popular 1-hour live session. Registration for all three dates opens this Monday 7th September. Follow my Eventbrite page, the individual event pages you can find via this link or look out for the announcement post coming on Monday. Thank you!

Nathan

The Improbable

Daily Post

There’s a lot that could happen at a viva that is extremely improbable.

  • You could have a six-hour viva or be done in 45 minutes. Neither is likely.
  • You could be asked to write a new chapter for your thesis but it’s a very, very rare outcome.
  • You could be surprised by completely unexpected questions but it’s far more likely to have questions about things you know and understand.

You could spend a lot of time worrying about improbable hypotheticals before your viva. Worry alone won’t help but it can steer you towards action or advice that will ease your concerns.

If an improbable situation is on your mind then look for help and work past that worry.

 

PS: if you’re looking for more viva help to work past your worries then set a reminder for one of my upcoming webinars in the next few months. I have dates in October, November and December for my 1-hour 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session and registration for all of them opens on Monday 7th September. Follow my Eventbrite page or the individual event pages you can find via this link. Thank you!

Nathan

What It’s For

Daily Post

The viva is a facilitated discussion to confirm that you did a good piece of work over a long period of time – and in doing so you became a good researcher.

The viva follows a long academic tradition in the UK and is seen as a good mechanism for assessing the progress that someone makes as they pursue their research goals. It’s a custom exam every time, following rules, traditions and experience, unique but not unknowable.

The viva is there to check you and your work out:

  • Is it enough?
  • Have you done enough?
  • Have you developed enough?

(and enough is enough: your examiners aren’t looking for perfection)

Your viva is for you: it’s your viva, your exam, your work, your journey.

That’s what your viva is for.

Nathan

Three Whats For Viva Prep

Daily Post

Whenever you finish a period of viva preparation ask yourself three whats:

  • What did I just do? (review your work)
  • So what does that mean for my preparation? (reflect on progress)
  • Now what will my next viva prep task be? (refresh your plan)

Viva prep is better with a plan and better still with being mindful as you get it done.

Nathan

Rest Today

Daily Post

Viva prep means a lot of Rs: reading, reviewing, refreshing, rehearsing.

It’s easy to forget one of the most important ones: resting.

It’s a public holiday in the UK today and I hope you have space to rest. If not, then decide when you will next rest and relax.

Even if your viva is tomorrow I’d still encourage you to make time to take some rest today.

Nathan

The Wrong Way

Daily Post

If you’re worried about doing something wrong at your viva or in your prep then you’re probably fine.

But, to be sure:

  • Check your institution’s regulations for the viva.
  • Ask your friends how they got ready for their viva and what happened.
  • Check out a few posts on this site for advice.
  • Ask yourself why you might be doing something wrong and get at the root of the worry.

If you’re self-aware enough to think that you’re going in the wrong direction then you’re probably on track and nervous. Nervous simply means that you’re recognising the viva – correctly – as something that matters.

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