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Tag: after the viva

Nathan

Doctor Time

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The moment will come when you’re really, really done with your PhD but there are lots of steps along the way that might feel like endings.

  • How will you celebrate when you pass your viva?
  • How will you celebrate when you graduate?
  • What will being Doctor Someone mean to you?

Finishing your PhD is a big deal. It’s much bigger than the viva.

Thinking about the end can help you plan ahead, figure out how you feel and potentially motivate you for the work you still have to do.

You celebrate, you change and then what?

Nathan

Finding The Rules

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The regulations for your viva shouldn’t be hidden but they might not be obvious. Ahead of your thesis submission find the regulations and take a little time to check:

  • What forms need to be handed in ahead of your thesis submission?
  • When do they need to be in and who else is involved?
  • What is the expected window of time between submission and the viva at your institution?
  • Under what circumstances might you have an independent chairperson as part of your viva?
  • If you have accessibility requirements how do you communicate those to your examiners? (who do you tell and when do they need to know?)
  • How will you be told the logistics for your viva?
  • What is the process for having a video viva?
  • What can you expect from the viva process generally?
  • How will you find out the result of the viva?
  • What deadlines are given for completing different categories of corrections?
  • What is the process for having corrections checked?
  • And what is the process for final thesis submission after corrections have been accepted?

None of these should be especially difficult to answer if you look through the regulations. One final question which might not be obvious though: who would you contact in case of emergency?

If you feel ill the day before your viva, who do you contact? If one of your examiners cancels their involvement, who do you contact?

An emergency might be unlikely but, as part of checking the regulations, figure out who you can turn to if something goes wrong in the days leading up to your viva.

Nathan

Share Prep Ideas

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A little request for today.

When you’ve had your viva, if something worked well in your prep then tell your friends and colleagues about it.

If you made a lot of progress because of the way you read your thesis then tell someone. If a particular annotation was helpful then share how you did it and what it meant. Or if your mock viva was good then say why.

Tell others what you did, how you planned and what helped. Don’t tell them what they should do: share ideas to give others a boost, an encouragement and an inspiration.

A little help can travel a long way in a community.

Nathan

The End Of Your PhD

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First, be practical. Read the regulations. What do they say about corrections, final submissions, fees and forms? Know what you have to do for graduation, the timelines are for getting things done and understand how that fits with you. If you have an office space or desk then make sure you know when they need you gone so that you’re not stressed with moving things out!

In short: read up, check details, make lists and plans and get things done.

 

Second, be emotional. What does the end of your PhD mean for you? How have you grown? What have you done? And how do you feel about all of this? The end of the PhD is likely to be a huge change: a different role, a different task, a different status and maybe even a different purpose.

Or possibly a missing purpose, at least for a while. I remember very clearly a sense of “What now?” for months afterwards.

“What do I do now?”

 

There are practical and emotional aspects to the end of your PhD. The viva isn’t the end, it’s the starting pistol: you really are working towards a finish line now.

That involves work and emotional energy.

You might not know how you’ll feel about it until you get there but you can at least start the work of preparing yourself for when it arrives.

Nathan

Expecting Corrections

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When I share viva expectations with PhD candidates I emphasise that they can expect some corrections.

Most candidates get asked to complete some after the viva. They’ve not failed. They’ve not missed something. They’ve not been careless or lazy or ignorant.

Writing anything is hard. Writing a book is really hard. Writing a book for the first time – which is something that the vast majority of PhD candidates are doing when they produce a thesis – is really, really hard!

Corrections, for the most part, are a chance to make small improvements for accuracy and clarity. They are, relatively speaking, only a little more work in the weeks after the viva. It makes sense to check the regulations of your institution to get a sense of how much time you’ll have to complete them. Check to see what the formal process is like. Talk with others to see the scale of corrections they received.

And above all expect that you’ll have some to do when you’ve finished your viva.

One more step.

Nathan

Closing Stages

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When you’re close to being done with your PhD it’s a really good idea to pause and check you’ve not missed anything. This applies to all of the closing stages: writing up, submission, viva prep, the viva and the post-viva period.

As you finish writing up make sure you leave time to talk to your supervisors and reflect on their final feedback. With a little thought and planning you can submit your best possible thesis. Take time to check the regulations so you know you’ve not missed anything important.

Submission should be a happy exercise in following forms and guidelines! It might be an anti-climax in some ways though; one day you’re working hard to finish writing a book and the next day you’ve hit return on a webpage submission. You can still take time to make sure it’s done well.

Viva prep is best when it is personal and planned. Look for advice but do it your way. When you submit your thesis invest a little time to sketch out a plan for doing it well. Aim to remove stress from the process.

You’ve read the regulations but also remember to talk to PhD graduates about their viva experiences. Get a sense of what to expect. If you’re worried find an action to take that will lower the worry.

At your viva pause and think before you respond to any question or comment. Take it slow and remember how you’ve got to this point and all the work you’ve done.

Finally, when the viva is done and you know what corrections you need to do take time to make a plan. Check the regulations again. Ask for guidance on anything unclear. Figure out how and when you will get the work done. It helps to know in advance how much time is typically given for completing corrections and what the process is for submitting your final thesis.

There are lots of stages to the end of the PhD journey. As you get close to them take your time to do them well. Often this means checking details or making a plan – and typically the sooner you do these the more ready you will be for tackling the final closing stages.

 

PS: Looking for more help with getting ready for your viva? Then check out my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026 – I’ll talk about a lot of things to help with your viva! You’ll get four-week access to a recording of the session and plenty of follow-up materials too. There’s more information at the link but please get in touch if you have any questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Beyond The Viva

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We need to do this by… We have to make time to… Oh don’t forget we have to…

I’m willing to bet that these kinds of sentences aren’t just being said in my house! As the last days of the year line up it can sometimes feel like time is running out.

 

There’s a similar feeling with the viva I think.

Time has to be made to get X, Y and Z done. There’s the time of the viva itself, a small number of hours on one day but which can feel much bigger and important.

Then the viva is done. Over. Finished. Passed. Success.

And then there’s what comes next.

 

The days and weeks immediately after your viva are the almost end of your PhD journey. They might be bittersweet. They might not be what you were expecting or what you imagined.

Whatever happens there’s more afterwards. A new challenge like a new year, the same as the last one but unique and special.

Take a little time to brace yourself as you get ready for your viva. You’ll be done before you know it and then you’ll have new challenges to embrace.

Nathan

Questions For Friends

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Before submission check in with your academic friends and colleagues. Ask those who’ve had a viva what it was like. Look for detail and common threads in the stories that you hear. Ask anyone who might be willing if they can practically help you with viva preparation when the time comes.

After submission ask your friends to listen. Will they be a sounding board for rehearsal? Will they be happy and able to help you rehearse over tea or coffee? (this resource might help!) Do they have any other insights into viva prep that might help you? And do they have any insight into your examiners’ work that might help you prepare well?

After the viva ask your friends to celebrate!

And in the future ask any friends or colleagues who are approaching submission if they need any help or advice. Help make a better community for getting ready for the viva.

Nathan

Hate To Wait?

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If, like me, you find it difficult to wait for things then you need to come up with a few coping strategies for your viva.

If the days leading up to your viva are taking too long what will you do to manage yourself? Can you arrange your prep to pass the hours productively or will you arrange useful distractions?

What can you do to begin your viva day well while you wait for the start time? Decide in advance so that you don’t have to respond in the moment to your feelings.

What will you do after your viva is finished and you’re waiting for your examiners? Again, decide in advance – have a short walk, refill your water bottle, make some notes – so that you are not waiting alone and only feeling nervous.

If you hate to wait then you can also take steps to help yourself as you wait.

Nathan

Make Notes

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Make notes as you get ready for your viva to help your thinking.

Do it in a way that helps you. Write summaries. Add details to your thesis pages. Find useful prompts to help you unpick your work and respond to questions. You’ll take your annotated thesis to the viva to be a helpful resource but beyond that all your notes before the viva are to help you think ahead.

 

Make notes at your viva as well if you want to.

When your examiners ask questions or make comments you can write down what they say. You can capture keywords to help you focus. You can add marks and words to your notebook or your thesis if there’s something you might change later. Depending on your research area you might need to make notes in order to think through the consequences of a question or hypothetical.

 

Make notes after your viva.

Capture what your experience was like. Share it with others so that your unique experience can help shape the understanding of future candidates.

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