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Nathan

Unclear Expectations

Daily Post

Academic culture likes to make the viva seem big, mysterious and important.

The viva is definitely big and important but it’s not mysterious. Every institution has regulations. There are thousands of people every year in the UK who have a viva. There is a wealth of information about it if you look.

If anything about the viva seems unclear then ask questions, read the regulations and generally look to find out more. Send me an email if you like!

Finding out realistic expectations for the viva means you can prepare for it well, feel good about it and know that you are on track to succeed.

So what’s unclear for you? As a result, what will you do to find out more?

Nathan

Ask The Right Person

Daily Post

Do you have any of these questions rattling around your mind?

  • What happens at vivas?
  • How much time is given for minor corrections?
  • What does “major corrections” mean?
  • If I don’t want a mock viva what could I do?
  • When do I know when my viva will be?

I’ve been asked these lots of times at webinars, over email and in-person when I used to travel for work. I am always happy to help but it’s also worth pointing out that some questions I’m asked can be dug into far better by the candidate asking.

I can give a general perspective on regulations and expectations – but if you ask someone at your institution or read your regulations you’ll know exactly what you need. I can suggest the kinds of good support you could get from someone else if a mock viva doesn’t feel right – but you could know exactly who around you would be best placed to offer help.

Always ask. If you see me in a webinar or want to send me an email please do! I will always respond. But consider that someone much closer to you could help with some problems much more effectively.

 

PS: the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select contains a lot of helpful thoughts for your viva. It might not answer all your questions, but it will give you a lot of help. It’s available at my Payhip store along with the previous issues of curated collections and other resources too. Take a look if you can and tell anyone else who needs viva help 🙂 Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Dealing With A Difficult Topic

Daily Post

It’s reasonable to be concerned about unexpected questions, but those aren’t the most difficult topics or questions. You probably already know the most difficult topics that would come up at your viva.

What don’t you want to talk about? What do you struggle to remember? What might be controversial in your research?

Difficult topics are the kinds of things to take your time with in preparation and in the viva. There’s time. There’s no need to rush but if a difficult topic comes up at the viva there is a need to talk about it.

If you know a difficult topic ahead of your viva then prepare. Ask for help, ask your supervisor, rehearse by discussing the area and taking questions. Don’t try to ignore it. Don’t simply hope that it won’t come up.

Nathan

Not As Expected

Daily Post

If things don’t go as planned you have to act.

  • If your research doesn’t go as planned, what do you do instead?
  • If the first choice for your external examiner isn’t available who do you ask?
  • If your mock viva has to be cancelled what do you do now?
  • And if your viva doesn’t follow expectations in some way, what do you do?

You always have to do something. It’s important to remember that you always have agency. The unexpected shows up and you have to do something and you do and then you move on to the next thing.

You might need to ask for help or information. You might even need to check the regulations but, regardless, if something doesn’t follow your plan or expectations you’ll need to do something.

You can do your best, take action and move forward – and remember that while some things don’t go as expected a lot does work out.

Remind yourself of your effort and your impact and be thankful if you can for all the things in your PhD journey that worked out as planned.

 

PS: If you’re looking for more viva help and advice in the coming months 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!

Nathan

Why Worry?

Daily Post

You’re not wrong to worry about your viva.

A PhD takes a long time. Postgraduate research culture builds the viva up as some monumental event. The outcome – even when it is overwhelmingly positive for most people – is such a big thing that wanting to pass can lead to worries for all sorts of reasons.

What will your examiners say? Will you be OK? How long will it be? Will they be fair? Will your viva be fair for you and your needs?

And just what will happen?

Even though most vivas are a matter of a few hours, your viva is a big deal.

You’re not wrong to worry about your viva.

 

But…

…what will you do about it?

Worry doesn’t have to be the end. If you feel worried, nervous, anxious, scared or unsure then there’s a reason for it. By knowing the reason you can then start to make the situation better for yourself.

Ask for help. Take steps. Prepare and get ready.

You’re not wrong to worry about your viva.

If you are worried, what are you going to do?

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

Sudden Problems

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A week before submission you find that a section in your thesis is missing something important. What do you do?

Two weeks before your viva you learn that one of your examiners is cancelling. What do you do?

The day before your viva you find a big mistake in your thesis – you know what the correction is but you can’t change it now. What do you do?

Thirty minutes into your viva you are shaken by a question you’ve never considered before. What do you do?

 

These situations aren’t equivalent to each other. Impact and context matters. In some cases you can ask for help directly: for example, if your examiner cancelled that could be very stressful but it wouldn’t be your situation to resolve alone.

More than anything for any sudden problems the best advice I could offer is to stop: pause and breathe and get past any panic.

What can you do? Before you decide what you will do, think about what your options might be. Can you ask for help from someone? Have you faced a situation like this before? As stressful as it might immediately feel what is the real impact?

What can you do – then what will you do?

You have to do something but you don’t have to do the first thing that comes to mind when you’re experiencing the stress of a sudden problem. Pause and breathe then consider your options.

Nathan

Just In Case

Daily Post

Around submission time, if not before, look for someone who can help you if something goes wrong. You’re probably looking for someone at your doctoral college or graduate school, or possibly even your departmental or faculty director of postgraduate studies.

You want the name and contact details of who to turn to in case:

  • One of your examiners cancels;
  • You are ill and need to postpone;
  • You require accessibility accommodations that aren’t being met;
  • You need to check some point of the regulations;
  • Something truly unexpected happens!

Get the details of an emergency contact just in case. You might not need them. I hope you won’t. But you will be glad you have them if something goes wrong.

Nathan

Asking About Examiners

Daily Post

When your supervisors have decided on your examiners make sure to have a conversation about those choices, even if you’ve already asked them before. Make sure, for your own peace of mind, that you explore the following:

  • Why do your supervisors think that these two people are the right choice?
  • How can you prepare for meeting them in the viva?
  • What, in particular, do your supervisors think these two examiners might ask about?

Exploring that last question in general might be too big a problem to consider, but with two individuals, known to your supervisors – who know about your work – there might be some specific questions to unpick as part of your viva preparations.

Nathan

On Acknowledgements

Daily Post

Someone mentioned by name on your acknowledgements page can probably help you prepare for your viva in some way.

Your supervisors, your peers and colleagues, your friends and family – there’s a wealth of practical support they can give and it’s good to ask for it. You attend the viva by yourself, but you don’t have to feel alone as you prepare. Ask in advance and get the help you need.

Anyone on your acknowledgements page deserves to be thanked in-person as well. Take the time to tell them what they’ve done to help you get as far as you have.

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