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Nathan

Under It

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Viva prep doesn’t take much, space it out, don’t overstress yourself by trying to do too much in too short a time-

Good advice but if you are really under time pressure, if you just feel stress because of your work or your life, and if the thought of adding more to that feels terrible, the words above won’t help.

If you are overwhelmed you still need to prepare. If you are overwhelmed it might be difficult to think straight. Very simply then:

  • Ask for help.
  • Find a little time each day and do something small.
  • Read your thesis.
  • Make notes.
  • Talk about your work – respond to questions if you can.
  • Seriously: ask for help!

You’re the only person who can respond in the viva, but until then you have a lot of people around you who would support you practically if they knew you needed it. You have work to do to get ready for your viva – but you are not alone.

Little things add up. Your supporters will help. And it will get better.

Nathan

Expectations Matter

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Every viva is unique, but expectations show that yours will not be a total unknown.

Expectations provide an outline.

“Vivas are generally like this and not like that.”

Viva expectations shape preparation and build confidence.

The set of expectations you build up are a structure based on regulations and stories.

They build certainty but provide no guarantees.

Expectations matter because they are far better than wondering “What if…?”

And expectations typically show that vivas are nowhere near as terrible or challenging as the vague worries and unverified rumours about what happens.

Read the regulations. Listen to the stories. Ask around.

Find a set of expectations that will help you work towards being ready for your viva.

Nathan

Predicting Failure

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It’s clear that most PhD vivas results in success.

Ask your graduate school. Look online. Talk to people who have been through the process. The vast majority succeed. Corrections are part of the process and not a failure or setback. The process of doing a PhD, submitting a thesis and having a viva is not perfect, but it tends to work.

So accurately predicting success as the outcome of submission and the viva is simple.

Candidates succeed at the viva for very similar reasons, even when their research and theses could be very different. They succeed because they did the work, they wrote a good enough thesis and became a capable researcher. In the viva, they were able to demonstrate everything they needed to in order to pass.

 

Accurately predicting failure is much, much more challenging. Candidates pass for very similar reasons. They fail for very different, personal ones. It’s hard to know in advance.

Worry and nervousness isn’t enough. The vast majority of candidates succeed and most of them are in some way nervous about their viva! If you genuinely feel concerned that you’ve missed something or that something isn’t good enough, talk to someone. Talk to your supervisor. Talk to your graduate school. Talk to friends and colleagues and anyone who could help and ask them, “Do I really have a problem here? Am I just a little nervous? What can I do?”

Get help if your thoughts are turning to failure. It’s extremely unlikely, but finding a way that you can work towards success is much better than trying to assess how likely it is that you’re headed for failure.

Nathan

Prep Club

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I often describe the work of viva prep as being similar to the work of a PhD. The work has a different focus but it exercises the same knowledge and abilities. For the most part it continues to be something that a candidate would do alone.

But does it have to be work you do solo? Whether or not you have friends and colleagues around you who are also getting ready for their viva, do you know people who could:

  • Be in the same space as you while you read your thesis, so that you’re not alone?
  • Bounce ideas around with you about how to annotate your thesis?
  • Go for coffee and listen to you talk about your research?
  • Help you even more by having a mini-viva with you?

If you know fellow PGRs who are also preparing then even better, but start by considering who your allies are. Start by asking for the support you need, if you need something.

The first rule of Prep Club is you tell other people about your need for Prep Club.

Nathan

Tell Someone

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If you need help with some part of your viva prep, tell someone who might be able to assist you.

If you feel concerned, tell someone who might have experience or advice for your situation.

If you have questions about what to expect from your viva, tell someone who will understand and be able to share realistic expectations with you.

If you feel like you’re missing something in the weeks leading up to your viva, then tell someone who can offer considered advice to help you find what’s gone astray.

And if you want to mark your viva success when it’s all done, tell someone who will enthusiastically join in with your celebrations!

Nathan

A Delay

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There are many reasons why a viva might be delayed.

Examiner or candidate illness could lead to a date change. Traffic or transport disruption could lead to a last minute change. Simple, random life stuff could force back the start time by half an hour on the day of a viva.

Whatever the circumstances, no delay to the viva – of weeks, days or minutes – will feel good.

To build up and get ready for meeting examiners and then have to wait could make someone feel extra-nervous; it might have other practical considerations too, like arranging childcare, checking transport options or having to rebook a room.

If it were to happen to you, remember that the feelings will pass. The situation will resolve. It won’t directly impact the viva itself. All of your preparation still counts. You might have a little longer to wait but you will still make it through.

Nathan

The Question No-one Asks

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Almost thirteen years of workshops, seminars and webinars and no-one has ever asked me, “What do I do if I feel fine about my viva?”

  • I’ve met candidates who feel excited, but they also admit to needing to know more about the process.
  • I’ve met candidates who feel capable, but want to know how to prepare well.
  • I’ve met candidates who are reasonably confident and yet they don’t know what to do about a particular problem or issue they’ve realised.

And I’ve met a lot of candidates who are nervous, uncertain of the process or unsure of what to do to prepare.

People feel lots of things about their viva. I’ve never met a candidate who told me they just felt fine about theirs.

 

Of course, if you do then continue to do whatever has helped you to feel that way! Tell me (and everyone!) what your secret is. Relax, read your thesis and continue to build on how you feel.

If you don’t feel fine, which seems far more likely, then reflect on what’s holding you back.

What do you need to know? What do you need to do? Who do you need to ask for help?

Then take the steps you have to take to lead yourself to being ready for the viva. Maybe you won’t arrive at fine, but you can certainly feel capable and confident for meeting your examiners.

Nathan

Figuring Out Fears

Daily Post

It’s not irrational to be nervous about your viva or concerned for what might happen. The outcome matters, it’s important, and naturally anyone who faced a viva in their near future could feel a little nervous.

If you’re anxious, worried or afraid though, you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Shying away or hoping you just feel better soon won’t help. You need to do something.

Ask yourself three questions, in sequence:

  • Why do you feel the way you do?
  • How might you address the problem?
  • What will you do?

Start with why. Unpick what is really causing the problem for you. Perhaps you’ve found something in your thesis and you know it will need to be discussed. Maybe you don’t know something about the viva process and that gap of knowledge is causing worry. Once you know why you feel the way you do you can start to make a change.

Ask yourself how you might address the issue. There will be a way to move forward; there will probably be lots of things you could do. Ask for help. Ask for advice. At the viva you have to respond to questions by yourself but before then there are lots of people who can provide support.

Decide what you will do. You can get help but you have to act. If there’s a problem, you have to take steps to get past it. You’re the only one who can.

It’s not wrong to be nervous and it’s possible you might face problems.

But you can figure them out, move past them and have a good viva.

Nathan

Other Perspectives

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Your supervisor is well placed to give you a different perspective on your work. You know how you’ve thought about and written about your work; they could give you their impressions as a more experienced academic, or share how an examiner would approach your thesis.

Friends and colleagues can offer their perspective on the viva process. Any PhD graduate could share their experience to help broaden your understanding of what to expect. A graduate from your department might be able to give you a nuanced expectation of what a viva is like in your discipline.

Your graduate school or doctoral college can help give you the big picture perspective on the viva. They can share regulations, requirements and as much paperwork as you can manage to show you what the process of the viva is meant to be like.

What other perspectives do you need as you get ready for your viva?

Nathan

Three Favours

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Ask your family and friends to give you a little space, time and quiet in advance of your viva. You need a good environment to prepare in. They can help provide that for you. Let them know what you need and work with them to make it a reality.

Ask someone to drive you to university on the day of your viva, if you’re having your viva in-person. You need to arrive rested. Travelling by public transport or driving yourself could take away from your focus and energy; asking for a lift could help you to arrive at your viva in a great condition.

Ask yourself to believe something: to believe that you are good enough. To believe that you have come as far as you have through hard work, personal development and making something that matters.

The last favour might be the biggest you could ask, depending on how you’re feeling – but if you can grant the request you’ll find a confidence that will help a lot on viva day.

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