Daily viva help for PhDs
What were the best references that supported your research?
Who were the most helpful people who have supported you?
What practices have you used for getting things done?
Whatever your best sources of support – whether they’re papers, people or practices – it’s a good idea to think about them as you get ready. In some cases, it might be a good idea to consult or use them one more time.
You did the work but everyone needs support.
Make a list of five papers you could read as part of your viva prep.
Make a list of five pages you’d like to be able to find easily in your thesis.
Make a list of five people you could talk to about your research.
Make a list of five days you could take a small break (even an hour) in the coming weeks.
Make a list of five questions you could write about before your viva.
Five lists with five points on each. They won’t take long to think or record.
Twenty-five helpful actions or activities you could do as part of your viva preparations, ready to go.
PS: Looking for more practical viva prep ideas? Explore June’s issue of Viva Survivors Select, my monthly viva help zine where I curate posts from the Viva Survivors archive!
I was feeling a little wistful recently as I looked back two decades to my own PhD.
What did I remember?
I was trying to think of my favourite things from my PhD. Most of the things that came to mind also had some other aspect to them as well: something I learned, some small success or result.
Two thoughts came to me afterwards.
First, it struck me that it’s probably a good idea to think about your favourite days of your PhD journey as you get ready for your viva. You’re bound to think about success and growth and that can only be good for your confidence and preparation.
Second, looking back I didn’t count my viva as one of my favourite days. I don’t think that’s because it was one of my least favourite days! It’s probably more in the middle. There were certainly harder times and definitely better times too.
So: look back to help your prep and confidence, but perhaps don’t expect that your viva will be as terrible as you worry (or as great as your greatest days).
Creating a summary of part of your thesis or research is a big win for viva prep.
A summary is an opportunity to gather your thoughts. You can take a little time to focus on something that matters.
A summary is a small project to make a helpful resource. You benefit from the mental effort to get it done and again by having something to refer to afterwards.
Take time to create a few summaries during your viva prep period. Think about what really matters in your work and what you might need to focus on in your viva to get started.
Your viva might be uncomfortable at times. Engaging with the discussion. Taking your time. Thinking and responding to questions you hadn’t considered. Simply the act of being there, being examined on something that you have invested years of work in.
Remember though:
You can be uncomfortable, but you’ll be OK. Learn what to expect, prepare and build your confidence.
From research I’ve done in the past I estimate that 75% of vivas are finished by the three-hour mark. The vast majority of candidates pass and around 90% of candidates are asked to complete some form of correction, with most of those being minor corrections.
Knowing the stats helps but preparing helps even more. It’s good to know that you’re likely to succeed but far better to know that you’re ready. Learn about what vivas are like and then invest your time in preparation.
Percentages help a little, preparation helps a lot.
PS: If you want to know more about the viva and what to do to get ready then follow my Eventbrite page to get notified of future independent webinars like Viva Survivor and 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva. Dates coming soon!
Who does your significant original contribution matter the most to? Does your explanation of your research change depending on your audience?
Reflect on who your work is for and what it might mean to different groups of people. This could help a lot when it comes to unpacking and explaining your research to your examiners.
PS: Need more ideas for reflecting on your research? Check out the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select, my curated viva help zine that digs into the Viva Survivors archive!
Words matter.
If you think part of your research has a weakness then how do you describe it to others?
Can you think of it as a limitation? Was it necessary given the circumstances?
Was the “weakness” a decision that you had to make? Was it a measured choice between alternatives?
If you had to make a change or adaptation due to circumstances does that make a difference to how you talk about it?
It’s OK to talk about things that could be better. It’s better, especially ahead of the viva, to think about how best to express it.
Words matter – both for how they’re heard by others and for how they have an impact on the speaker.
There’s a relatively small chance that a question at the viva could make you feel like you’re in an emergency.
If your first thought is “I don’t know” or “Aaaaaargh!” it can be hard to figure out how to respond.
Here’s the best advice I can give for those moments: do exactly what you’ve been doing for the non-emergency and non-stressful questions.
Whatever the question or comment from your examiners: pause, think it through and then respond. Your response could be an answer, an opinion, sharing an idea or asking a question.
If the question is really simple: pause, think and respond.
If the question is complex: pause, think and respond.
If the question makes you think “Aaaargh!”: pause, think and respond.
You don’t need an answer for everything. You do need to engage with every question.
Having one process that you can follow for simple questions and stressful questions makes it easier for you to follow and engage with the discussion in the viva.
Questions can be complicated. Your process for responding to them doesn’t need to be.
You invested years of work. Read countless papers. Many months following the practical steps necessary in your discipline.
Was it experiments, interviews, reading, modelling or something else for you? Whatever it was, you did it.
What you learned matters.
You need to have a thesis to pass your PhD but that book is only an expression of the learning and development that rests in you. What you learned shows your capability. Being able to talk about what you learned, what you know and what you can do matters. You need to be able to communicate this to your examiners.
And even more importantly: understanding just how much you’ve learned and grown can be a huge boost to your confidence as you get ready for your viva.
So, what have you learned?
PS: Need more viva help? Check out the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select: The Focus Issue explores writing summaries as part of viva prep to focus your thinking and highlight what matters most.