You Are Here

Category: Daily Post

Nathan

Rehearsal, Not Run-through

Daily Post

A mock viva is rehearsal for the viva but not a run-through. It’s important to grasp this. There are no scripts to learn but there’s a mood to appreciate. You can’t know the right words in advance but you can get a sense of the tone and the process.

Your supervisor and anyone else involved will try to give you an experience that feels like a viva. They’ll ask relevant questions and make comments to simulate a typical viva but ultimately it won’t match the real one that you’ll eventually have.

It’s a rehearsal, not a run-through. If you understand and accept the purpose then a mock viva is probably one of the most valuable activities you can engage with to help your viva preparation.

Nathan

Hundreds Of Somethings

Daily Post

700 to 800 days.

A not unreasonable estimate for how many days a PhD candidate might show up to do work.

Some days might be bigger or more important than others. Some days you stare at a screen and try to work, others you punch the air and celebrate. Some days you read a whole book and others you can barely write two sentences.

What matters is that you keep going. What matters is that those hundreds of days include hundreds of somethings: actions, experiments, thoughts, conversations and opportunities that you apply to your research, your talent and your capability.

A long process of small steps that leads you to success. No two days the same. All those days and somethings adding up to a thesis and a candidate that are good.

Nathan

A Non-Examiner

Daily Post

An independent chairperson isn’t there to examine you at your viva. They’ve not read your thesis and don’t have questions. They’re there to make sure the process is fair and make sure that the viva is following regulations. They might steer your examiners or provide guidance but they’re not there to examine you.

If you have a supervisor present at your viva then they’re not examining you either. They’re there to watch and maybe make notes. They can’t respond on your behalf and they can’t ask you anything.

If you want to know more about the examiners and non-examiners who might be at your viva then look at the regulations well in advance. Get a sense of what to expect, what that means for you and what you might need to do as a result.

Nathan

Explaining Enough

Daily Post

How do you define what “enough” means for a contribution to knowledge?

How do you know that you have read “enough” to have a good understanding of your research area?

How do you feel like you are capable “enough” as a researcher in your field?

How do you explain to someone that what you have done is “enough” for your thesis – or your PhD?

 

These are hard questions. It’s unlikely that your examiners will ask you them directly. Being able to think through and consider how you respond to them will help a lot as you get ready for your viva.

Think it over, talk with your supervisor and talk with friends. When you know how to explain that you have done “enough” you’ll feel better about responding to questions more generally in the viva.

Nathan

Routes To Confidence

Daily Post

Confidence comes from lots of places. The confidence you want for your viva could be found in many things.

You can feel confident if you feel capable. Your talents can help you to see you can manage this challenge.

You can feel confident if you’re calm. Putting problems and stress to one side can help you find self-confidence for the viva.

You can feel confident if you reflect over your PhD journey. You have got as far as you have by doing well, by making something that matters.

You might not be able to do all of these to the full extent you would like. Doubt, time and other pressures might get in the way. Make an effort with any of the steps above and however far you get will prompt greater confidence for your viva day.

There isn’t one way to viva confidence. Find a route that works for you. Don’t hope you’ll feel good – work your way to feeling good.

Nathan

Nasty

Daily Post

Do you think your examiners would ask a harsh question at the viva? If you think yes, why?

If you think yes, what do you think it would be about?

And if you think yes, how likely do you really think it is?

 

I don’t think it’s common for candidates to worry about particularly nasty questions, but for candidates who do the worry is particularly nasty. If it’s on your mind, don’t wait to find out if your fears will come true at the viva.

Talk to someone. Talk to your supervisor. Review anything and everything related to the topic of the question.

Questions at the viva shouldn’t be nasty but if you’re worried, don’t wait: do something to help yourself.

Nathan

The Time

Daily Post

If your viva begins at 2pm there might be a limit on how long your viva could be.

If your viva starts at 10am that doesn’t make you more likely to be discussing your work still when the sun sets.

Wondering about viva length is a distraction. It doesn’t correlate to anything useful about the outcome. It is helpful to get a sense of viva length to manage your expectations. If you have concerns about being present for a long time because of health reasons then you can figure out what you need to make the viva fair for you.

Long viva, short viva or somewhere-in-between-viva, the time you’re in the viva is very, very short compared to the rest of your PhD: all the time you’ve invested in becoming good and doing something good.

Nathan

Similar, Not The Same

Daily Post

If you hear five viva stories from different people you will spot common threads and notice differences.

If you hear five viva stories from people in your department you will notice examination practices and understand why they are different.

Every viva is different.

Every viva is influenced by regulations, expectations and departmental practices.

You viva will be similar to others, but can’t be the same.

Nathan

Point By Point

Daily Post

Your examiners will have a lot of questions for you at your viva, along with various comments they will make.

You won’t know them in advance. You can get a sense of what to expect by consulting resources, talking with your supervisors and reflecting on your research. Anything you are asked is purely to help drive the discussion forward and create a space where your examiners can explore you and your work.

 

All of this could make someone feel intimidated but here’s the important thing to remember: you only have to respond to one question or comment at a time. Your examiners don’t serve you twenty questions to start the viva and expect you to keep track of them all. You aren’t given a sheet of comments to work through.

One at a time, point by point, you respond to what your examiners need so that they can confidently say you are good enough.

Nathan

Your Thesis

Daily Post

There are lots of ways you could look at your thesis at your viva.

  • Your thesis is a resource to help you respond to questions. You can annotate it beforehand to be even more useful.
  • Your thesis is a lifeline in case of emergency. If you need it you can take a moment to remind yourself of something that escapes your memory.
  • Your thesis is a contribution. It’s one focus for your examiners’ questions.
  • Your thesis is proof that you did the work. It’s one focus for you and your confidence.

Which of these matters most to you at the viva? And what will your thesis mean to you after the viva?

1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 302