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Tag: getting ready

Nathan

Important Things

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I have a piece of paper on the wall next to my desk that says, “What’s the most important thing I can do today that would make tomorrow better?”

I like the sentiment of this but I’m also the kind of person who gets stuck sometimes thinking about what the most important thing could be.

I’m part of a family, a writer, a researcher-developer, a business owner… How do I decide what the most important thing is? Which area do I give my attention to so I can make tomorrow better?

I have to remind myself that not knowing the most important thing can’t get in the way of me doing something to make tomorrow better, even if that’s in a small way.

 

If you like the question too but also fear getting stuck on figuring out the most important thing then for you and your viva a better framing might be, “What can I do to make my viva better?”

Then you have options. There are so many things that you can do for viva prep. There are so many ways you can reflect on your PhD to boost your confidence. There is so much you can do.

Doing something towards prep is enough. You don’t have to be overwhelmed by the important things.

Nathan

By Now…

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… you must be good at what you do or you wouldn’t still be doing it. You are not the person you were when you started your PhD. The things you have learned and done over the past few years put you in a good position for meeting the challenge of your viva.

It might be that you have weeks or months to go until your viva, or maybe even more, but you have time to get ready. The stage you’re at right now is a good foundation to build on. By now must recognise that you’ve made a contribution. There might be more to say or other things to do, but you can’t do everything.

Your examiners are expecting to see a good contribution made by a capable candidate. It’s helpful, to begin with, if that’s what you can see in yourself and your work.

Nathan

Talismans

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I have a paperweight on my desk.

It’s a Father’s Day present I received from my daughter a few years ago: a small white stone with a leaf and branch design on one side and the words “Special Dad” on the other.

It has absolutely nothing to do with my work, the viva or any practical element of me doing what I do.

And yet I can’t deliver a webinar if it’s not on my desk in front of me. I can’t feel comfortable talking to people through the little camera in my monitor if I don’t have it there.

It’s not magic but it is a little charm, a talisman, that helps me focus. It helps me get things done. It adds some element of support for what I need to do. It’s a reminder of what I’ve done in the past and what that means.

 

You’ve done a lot of work by the time you get to your viva. You don’t need magic when you are capable. When you’ve done the work, written your thesis and prepared for your viva you don’t need a talisman or a charm or some other kind of boost.

And yet you’ll probably feel better for having one.

What will yours be? What can you find that will just encourage you, remind you and help you to believe that you are as good as you think and as ready as you can be?

You can’t have my paperweight! So what will help you?

Nathan

What’s Bothering You?

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It took me years after my viva to realise what had kept me awake the night before. If I’d realised it that night it was really too late to do anything about it. I was bothered by not knowing what to expect from my examiners and not being sure if I was a capable candidate.

Both of these were things I had probably been pushing aside for weeks leading up to my viva, if not longer – and both could have been addressed sooner if I’d faced up to them.

I passed my viva. In the grand scheme of things it was fine but I could have enjoyed it more if I’d explored what was bothering me sooner, before it was too late to do anything about it.

My wish for you today is simple: if you’re getting ready for your viva and there’s even a hint of something bothering you then face up to it. Figure out what’s bothering you and do something about it. Ask for help, talk to your supervisor, read your thesis, write something – do something!

Don’t hope it will go away and don’t wait until it is too late. If something is bothering you then do something about it.

 

PS: if something is bothering you about the viva process then please take a look at Viva Survivor, my  live webinar I’m sharing tomorrow, Wednesday 25th June. It’s a 3-hour live webinar with a catch-up recording and follow-up materials all about the viva, viva prep and getting ready. Registration closes at 5pm today, so this is your last opportunity to sign up. If you have questions about the viva and think a live session and support might help then take a look and find out more. Thanks for reading.

Nathan

The Responsibilities

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Your institution has a responsibility for communicating the regulations and processes of the viva to you.

Your supervisor has a responsibility to guide you and provide appropriate practical support.

Your examiners have a responsibility to be fair but to ask questions. These could be difficult questions at times. Your examiners have a responsibility to help the viva work well.

Your independent chairperson, if you have one, has a responsibility to ensure that the viva is fair.

You have a lot of responsibilities. Many of them follow from the same basic principles you must have been following for a long time though. You have to show up, engage well and continue to do what you do: be a good researcher in whatever way that means for your discipline.

Whilst the viva isn’t easy, your responsibilities shouldn’t be too hard to fulfil. You’ve been on this track for years.

A few more hours. Keep going.

Nathan

Planning Time

Daily Post

Viva prep typically takes between twenty and thirty hours. The range follows from the wide variation in thesis size, how a candidate might feel and practically how much time they can commit given their other responsibilities.

I think it’s impossible to plan out in advance exactly how much time you will spend each day over the course of your prep. On Tuesday 24th I will read my thesis for forty-five minutes… I don’t think that approach works well.

I think you can decide that you might read your thesis over the course of a week and allow an hour or so each night. You can set aside an hour on a date to write a summary about a particular chapter. You can schedule a mock viva for whenever is mutually convenient.

Sketching a plan at submission, figuring out generally how much time you might spend in the coming weeks is a good approach to prep that lowers stress. Detailing the minutes spent each day will most likely add more negative pressure and create standards that are hard to meet – and unnecessary.

Take a little time to plan your prep. Use the rest to get prepared.

Nathan

Patterns, Predictions, Preparations

Daily Post

Vivas follow patterns. These come from regulations, general experiences of candidates and examiners and the culture of departments. There are general expectations that describe the trend of vivas in the UK, reasonable estimates of length, process, ranges of feelings and so on.

Given the general patterns and a person’s experience, ability and research, it is possible to make some predictions for what will happen at a particular candidate’s viva. It’s reasonable to predict that someone’s experience will most likely be similar to the patterns of the general experience. It’s reasonable to predict particular questions based on their research and thesis.

Patterns and predictions only take one so far though. They can help you feel better. They can highlight general things for you to think about in advance of the viva.

Then you have to prepare.

Preparations for the viva are what make the difference. It’s not enough to have a good feeling. It’s not enough to get a sense of what vivas are like. You have to do something. You have to take steps to get ready.

What patterns are you aware of? What can you reasonably predict for your viva? And what will you do to make sure you are prepared?

 

PS: one thing that could help your preparations is Viva Survivor, my upcoming live webinar on Wednesday 25th June. I have three objectives for the session: to share realistic expectations for the viva, help attendees know how to prepare well and to be of help.

I’ve shared this session more than 400 times with over 8000 PhD candidates, but this is only the third time I’ve opened up registration. Viva Survivor is a 3-hour live webinar and all attendees get access to a catch-up recording and follow-up materials. Take a look and see if it might be of help for you. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Ideas Need Work

Daily Post

“What a good idea!”

It’s very rare that an idea is enough. It takes work to develop, to implement, to unpick, to understand and for it to have an impact.

You will have had many good ideas throughout your PhD. However they’ve made their way into your thesis, they needed effort to come to life. They needed your work to make an impact.

Whatever is in your thesis, it took work to write, work to edit, work to figure out how to express it.

Your work.

There are great ideas that exist because of the work you did. When you go to your viva there’s a lot to talk about. Remember that the reason it’s there is because you took the time and the effort to do it.

Your thesis is proof of your contribution and evidence of your capability as a researcher.

 

PS: today’s post aims at boosting confidence by reflecting on your PhD and the work you did. If you’re looking for more ways to boost your confidence and get ready for the viva then check out Viva Survivors Select 03, The Preparation Issue, which came out yesterday and is available now at this link!

Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 03

Update

It’s come around so quickly hasn’t it? Or maybe that’s just how I feel…

In any case the third issue of Viva Survivors Select is out today!

Viva Survivors Select 03, The Preparation Issue is here and I’m very excited to release it into the world. Twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive plus two new original pieces equals a lot of concentrated support for anyone who needs to get ready for their viva.

In this issue I felt it was time to dig into viva prep in detail: when do you start? What do you do? What tasks help? And how can you make the most of the time between submission and the viva to get ready for meeting your examiners?

Twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive and two new original pieces: a new resource for having helpful rehearsal conversations with friends and a confidence-building project you can start to help you feel better for your viva. Viva Survivors Select 03 is out now for £3 and joins the first two issues in this project of monthly viva help.

If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please take a look at and consider buying The Preparation Issue – and please do pass on details of this issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Ten Minute Annotation

Daily Post

Annotating your thesis for the viva takes more than ten minutes! However, you can make a good start in a short amount of time:

  • Add sticky notes or tabs to mark the start of each chapter.
  • Add similar for any key sections that stand out to you in your thesis.
  • Add a summary sentence to the start of each chapter.
  • At the top of the title page write three things you are proud of from your research.
  • Further down on your title page write “You can do this!” – and then underline it.

Then take as much time as you need to finish annotating your thesis.

In ten minutes you can start well. What else do you need?

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