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Tag: getting ready

Nathan

No Shortcuts

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There’s no quick three-step process to getting ready for the viva.

You can’t bypass reading your thesis to refresh your memory.

No-one has invented a 5-minute mock viva that gets you two-hours of practise in 300 seconds.

There are no shortcuts to just doing the work – but the work involved in viva preparation really doesn’t take all that long. Maybe an hour per day for about four weeks leading up to your viva could be enough, even with taking a day off here and there.

It’s not nothing, but it’s a lot less than the hundreds of days and thousands of hours invested in your PhD up to submission. It’s a little more work to help you be ready for the particular challenge of your viva.

And given what’s at stake, why would anyone want a shortcut to being ready for their viva?

Nathan

What Comes Next

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“Good luck for your viva next week! Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world!”

It’s not the end of the world – it’s the end of your PhD.

Perhaps, after so long spent researching and working on something, and even with the happy prospect of future plans and new horizons, a little of the worry and nervousness for the viva and the end of the PhD comes from just being worried for what comes next.

So make plans. Write lists. Draw out what you’ve done and what matters. Find some comfort at the thought of finishing something good. Reflect on what you’re carrying with you into the next stage of you.

Nerves and worry are normal as you finish anything. Nerves and worry are normal as you come to finish your PhD. It’s not the end of the world but the viva is a big part of the end of your PhD.

Nathan

Jargon Busting

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You probably have terms in your thesis that are unfamiliar to anyone who doesn’t do what you do. These could be names of key people in your field, references to important information or just a piece of jargon that means something important.

Over time words can become forgotten. To make sure that you have what you need, take an hour in your viva prep to refresh your memory.

Write a glossary of fancy words and jargon. Make a list of key names and data. It might seem like overkill to think and write about terms you know but a little extra thought won’t hurt to be sure you know what everything in your thesis means.

Nathan

Demonstrating Capability

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Assuming that you pass your viva it’s you who are the PhD, not your thesis. Your thesis is part of the mechanism for your success. Your examiners need to explore the contribution you’ve made and also examine your capability as a researcher in your field.

It might help before your viva to reflect a little on the last few years:

  • What have you learned?
  • What skills have you developed?
  • What research processes can you do now that you couldn’t when you started?
  • What makes you a good researcher?

The last question is simple to ask. The details should all be there when you look at the last few years, but it might be hard to put them into words. Take time to think about how you can demonstrate that you are a capable researcher.

What makes you good at what you do? What makes you good enough?

Nathan

Annotation Needs

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Take time after submission to annotate your thesis and create a one-of-a-kind special edition. This can then be an even greater resource for helping you respond to your examiners.

So what do you need to add to have a well-annotated thesis for your viva?

 

To unpick this question we have to add some emphasis. What do YOU need to add to have a well-annotated thesis for YOUR viva?

Annotation is highly personal. From particular needs and wants, the actual text of the thesis, the circumstances of the candidate and the situation of the viva, there are lots of things that someone could need or want. Of course there is then a great variety in how these things could be expressed in annotation.

A typical need is to be able to find the start of a chapter with ease. This could be done with bookmarks, sticky notes, colouring the edges of pages or folding down page corners. There’s no wrong way to do it, just a personal way – and it’s not wrong if you’d rather not have any indicator marking the start of a chapter!

What do you need to annotate your thesis in a good way for you? How will you do it?

Nathan

Value Your Contribution

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A key topic for discussion at your viva is what you’ve been doing for the last few years.

Your examiners need to explore your significant original contribution. They need to ask questions that get you to share what makes your work matter. They need to get you to talk about why it makes a difference. So in preparation for your viva:

  • Reflect on what makes your contribution valuable.
  • Think about how your work connects with the field or disciplines it’s a part of.
  • Explore the difference your research makes.

You can do these sorts of things through reading your thesis, writing notes or summaries and talking about your work. Make sure you find opportunities to talk about your research and respond to questions.

It’s not enough to just think a bit: you have to do more to explore what makes your work special.

Nathan

Deep Down

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Nervous. Anxious. Concerned. Worried. Afraid.

If any of these words describe how you feel about your viva then you need to ask why.

They don’t all mean the same thing. Be sure of which best describes the situation, then dig into why. Why are you worried? What’s the reason for your concern? Do you know why you’re feeling this way?

Deep down there is a reason. If you feel negative about your viva, try to unpick the cause.

It’s not wrong to feel any of these things. The viva is important and important events have a way of making us feel nervous and more. If the feeling isn’t helping you to get ready then ask why, reflect and see what the reason might be.

Do you need to know something about the process?

Are you worried about something you’ve heard about vivas and aren’t sure if it’s true or not?

Do you feel concerned about your thesis or prep?

Whatever the reason, uncovering it gives you the means to start resolving that situation. Don’t just sit with the feeling. Find something you can do to shift that feeling.

Nathan

One Hour To Go

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With sixty minutes before your viva what are you going to do?

  • Read a few more pages a few more times?
  • Check through your notes again?
  • Knock on your supervisor’s door to ask one more question?
  • Pace  to try and release a little tension?

These are all things I did! I also went to the seminar room   too early and waited for my examiners to be exactly on time.

You can’t always control how you deal with the building expectation of something important. Maybe you can set a better intention though.

I wish I’d thought more about when I was going to arrive. I would have made a plan. I would have found ways to remind myself that I had not been idle in the weeks leading up to my viva.

Nervousness is not an unlikely possibility for viva day. What can you do to make a good final hour before your viva?

Nathan

When You’re Ready

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Viva prep involves practical tasks like reading your thesis, making notes and having a mock viva, as well as building up your self-confidence for meeting your examiners.

There’s no particular checklist that every candidate must do. You figure out what steps you need to take and you do the work.

At some point before your viva – maybe the day before or the week before – you reach a point where you feel you’re ready for meeting your examiners. Whenever it is, make a note for yourself. Write down that you’re ready. Take two minutes to write why you feel that way.

Do it because a day later you might doubt yourself. On the morning of your viva you could wonder if you’re really going to be OK.

If you’ve done the work, if you’ve felt ready once and made a note then you can remind that future-you: “Yes, you’re going to be OK. You did it. You can do this.”

When you feel ready, take time to remind yourself to keep going.

Nathan

Nervous or Anxious?

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Some candidates feel nervous because of what they did in their thesis. Is it enough?

Some people feel nervous because of what they haven’t done. Have they missed something?

Some feel nervous because of who there examiners are. Will their experience lead to tougher questions?

Some feel nervous because they don’t know what is going to happen. What if there’s a situation they can’t cope with?

And some candidates will be nervous because the viva is important and important things make people nervous!

We can quibble as to whether some of the above is nervousness or anxiety, but either way, these things won’t disappear by themselves. If you feel nervous or anxious you have to do something.

Read your thesis, review a few papers, ask about your examiners, have a mock viva, talk to friends and colleagues and do anything rather than just sit nervous or anxious. Sitting with a negative feeling like that, whatever we call it, won’t help.

What could you do to help yourself? What will you do? Go do it.

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