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Tag: getting ready

Nathan

The What

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What did you do?

It’s unlikely your examiners will ask you as simple a question as this to explore your PhD research but the thought will be there.

What did you do?

When your examiners ask about your research, remember that they will have already carefully read your thesis. They know what you did: they’re looking for you to be clear, concise and to dig into what you think is important to summarise.

What did you do?

It’s necessary to ask how and why in order to explain what you did. Methods and motivations are as interesting to explore as outcomes.

What did you do?

It’s probably necessary to practise different ways of describing your research to see what works best for you. You don’t need a polished monologue for your viva, but the practise will help you to find the words when you need them.

What did you do?

Nathan

Outcomes, Strategies & Tactics

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There are desirable outcomes for viva prep but lots of paths that could lead to those outcomes. Strategy is an overall type of activity that helps a candidate; tactics are the many approaches that could help someone. Effectiveness depends on time available, the preferences of the candidate and many other factors.

For example, a desirable outcome for the viva is that a candidate has a clear enough picture of their research in their mind: not photographic recall, just a good feel for the flow of the work they’ve presented.

A simple strategy for this would be for a candidate to take time to read their thesis and refresh their memory. Possible tactics – again, influenced by different factors – could be to find an afternoon to read the thesis in one sitting. Or to read one chapter per evening. Or for a certain time each day. Or to focus on particular aspects in order.

When someone tells you a precise way to prepare it might not be right for you. They’re usually describing tactics that may help with good intentions. Behind the tactics will be a strategy that almost certainly will help, leading to an outcome that you need. If some tactics don’t sound quite right for you, then listen for the strategy.

If you know the strategy you need, consider what tactics will help you best. How will you organise yourself? What particular help do you need?

Nathan

Your Viva

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Viva expectations are useful.

It helps to know that vivas vary in length and that some are more common than others.

It helps to know that examiners are prepared and they use certain questions more often than others to begin.

It helps to know that there are specific topics or areas that are regularly discussed in the viva.

It helps to know the ways that examiners direct the viva.

Expectations are useful and at the same time we have to understand that they are not predictive. You can know the range of times, questions and common approaches for discussion but you cannot know which combination you will find on your viva day.

You can’t prepare by trying to anticipate every possible permutation directly.

Instead, listen to viva stories and understand viva expectations as a framework. This is the shape of things. This is what vivas look like. This is what you need to be ready for your viva.

Nathan

Spotlight

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A part of my discomfort before my viva was due to general nervousness and lack of confidence in presenting and discussing my work. I knew my stuff but I wasn’t comfortable talking about it. I didn’t want to be in the spotlight!

A mock viva would have helped.

Talking about my research with friends would have helped.

Learning more about vivas would have helped.

If the viva spotlight seems at all scary to you then the best thing you can do is find a way to rehearse. The second best thing is to learn more of what to expect from that spotlight experience to prepare yourself.

Rehearsal is the key though: find and use opportunities to simulate the viva ahead of time.

Nathan

For The Hundredth Time

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It might take a lot of re-reading to remember something that you need to know. On the morning of my viva I knocked on my supervisor’s door to check the definition of something I had been using in my work for over two years. I tried and tried but it just wouldn’t stick.

It’s not trivial to build up a mental model of the knowledge you need for your research. What’s harder is building up the certainty and confidence that you are good enough, that you’ve done enough. You might need to repeat that over and over to yourself. You might have to reflect and review and consider many times to see that you’ve done enough.

Survive means manage to keep going in difficult circumstances. If you get to submission, if you’ve got this far, then you’ve got through enough to show you can succeed in the viva.

For the hundredth time: if you’ve got this far then keep going.

Nathan

Journaling Prep

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Keep a tiny journal for your prep. Every time you do something, add it to a growing list of what you’ve done in pursuit of being ready.

Lots of viva prep tasks don’t have a visible output: when you have read your thesis or a paper you only have a memory. When you talk with a friend there’s nothing physical to point so you can say, “I did it.”

So keep a little journal. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than recording what you did, when you did it, why you did it and how it helped.

Build the proof for yourself that you are getting ready for your viva.

Nathan

In Case You’ve Forgotten

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If you’re working towards your viva now you are so close to being finished. And to get this far you’ve already successfully completed many major milestones. Some you will share with other candidates, they’re part of the general PhD journey; some will be your own, and no-one else will have had to rise to the challenges that you have.

If you’re nervous, concerned or afraid then at least remember that you are good. You can do this. Don’t forget how far you have come. Don’t forget how you have succeeded despite living through strange and challenging times. You’re so close. You can do this. Keep going.

Nathan

7 Tiny Prep Steps

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Viva prep is several big tasks and lots of little things. All together they can help a candidate move closer to feeling ready.

Here are some tiny things you could do to help yourself:

  1. Bookmark the start of each chapter.
  2. Google your external examiner.
  3. Check the regulations.
  4. Ask a friend to listen.
  5. Underline your typos (then leave them alone).
  6. Take a moment to outline your prep time.
  7. Write an encouraging note for yourself.

Lots of little steps move you towards where you need to be.

Nathan

A Little Extra Is Enough

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Another way to think about viva prep: it’s the extra time you get to do a little bit more.

Not a lot of time. Not a lot of work.

The work you’ve already done – research, writing and development – is what gets you through the viva. You’ve written a good enough thesis to share your research. You’ve grown enough in your talent and knowledge to be a capable researcher in your field.

Prep is that little extra to help convince yourself that you’re good enough.

Nathan

The Goal

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Viva prep helps you to feel ready for the viva.

Learning about expectations helps you to feel ready for the viva.

Exploring who your examiners are (a little) helps you to feel ready for the viva.

Rehearsing the kind of work you will need to do in the viva helps you to feel ready for the viva.

All the various tasks are there to help you towards feeling ready.

But you don’t want to feel ready for your viva: you want to pass your viva.

That’s OK. Preparing will help you to pass, learning expectations will help, exploring your examiners and rehearsing all help you pass.

Except you don’t want to pass: you really want whatever you’re aiming towards after your PhD is complete.

The PhD is a goal, not the goal.

 

A few thoughts: can you do viva prep in such a way that it benefits your real goal? Can you organise your prep to leave space for working towards your real goal? And viva prep is easily defined, but have you clearly set out what you’re really working towards?

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