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Nathan

Survive Sounds Scary

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We hear survive and think of tragedy. Desperate situations. Almost impossible and yet somehow someone makes it through. Of course, given those associations, survive sounds scary.

Survive sounds scary but survive means manage to keep going in difficult circumstances.

Survive sounds scary but it doesn’t have to be life and death. It could be much less serious.

It could be difficult to meet with your examiners. All you feel about your work. All you’ve done. The anticipation and the nervousness making you uncomfortable.

But how difficult has your PhD been already? You’re still here. You survived. You managed to keep going in difficult circumstances.

Survive sounds scary. For the viva the simple thing to hold in your mind is you need to keep going.

Nathan

Count Down, Count Up

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It’s not wrong to hold your viva date in your mind and count down towards it.

Two weeks to go. Ten days. Seven days. Two days. Ten hours!

We do this with all sorts of events, like Christmas and the advent season. It can be a good way to focus. You have a deadline to steer your preparation.

Counting down can also bring stress and anxiety depending on the situation if you start to feel pressure.

Counting down is a tool: you can use it or not.

You could also count up.

Count up all your work. Count up all of your achievements. Count up all you have written. Count up all you’ve finished. Count up all the talent you have developed.

Counting down can focus you on the event and what you need to do.

Counting up can show you that you have what you need for the event when it arrives.

Two tools. Both can be useful. Use one or both as you see fit.

Nathan

Units of Measurement

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It would be ridiculous to measure the table you work at in miles.

You would never tell a friend that your thesis draft is coming along nicely at 972,638 characters.

And you wouldn’t record how many cups of coffee you had had to determine if you’d been working hard.

Units of measurement have to be fit for purpose. They have to be reasonable. And yet I’ve met many PhD candidates who measure themselves against other people. They doubt their success because they compare their research with a colleague’s work. They worry about their viva because they look at what their examiners have achieved and feel small.

How long have you been working on your PhD? How much have you done? What is your contribution? Responding to these questions is an appropriate measurement. You don’t need to compare yourself to others.

Measure yourself and see that you’re good enough in your own terms.

Nathan

Bibliography Focus

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Your thesis’ bibliography might contain hundreds of references. While you will have used all of these to shape and inform your research, it’s impossible for you to remember every detail. Your examiners won’t expect that from you either. They’re not unreasonable, but they will want to see evidence that you know your stuff.

What could you do in preparation?

  • You could take another look at the references that have helped build up your methods.
  • You could be sure of how sources containing important information have helped your research.
  • You could look again at any references you disagree with – to be sure you’re certain why you disagree with them.
  • You could create an edited bibliography: a top twenty list of the most useful papers that you’ve cited.

You don’t need to do all of these. You might need to do something else. But you need to do something to bring your bibliography into focus before your viva.

Nathan

For I Made No Haste…

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A few years ago, I read “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. Part of the memoir, available free here from Project Gutenberg, is Thoreau describing how he built a cabin for himself. This was a place of solitude to work and think.

I was enjoying the turns of phrase and descriptions of life when part of a sentence made me gasp as if a light had come on:

“…for I made no haste in my work, but rather made the most of it…”

For several years I’ve been returning to this phrase. The last year and a half have seen many changes. This phrase, for some reason, keeps me reflecting.

I think of all the times when I have rushed to get things done. All the time when I have tried to cram more things into an already busy week. All the times when I have worked to be finished with a task – so I can then go and do more.

Instead… Why not make the most of my work? Why not prioritise doing my work well rather than seeing it simply done? Why not see it as a chance to grow and develop than an output or outcome to be finished?

Thoreau was writing in a very different era, but there’s wisdom in his words.

So for viva prep, why not make the most of the time to learn a little more? Why not use the opportunity to be sure you’re ready?

For the viva, why not approach it with an attitude of eagerness? Why not think about how to make the most of the opportunity? This is a chance to talk with two people who have read your thesis and are eager to talk with you, not just an exam to pass.

Of course on your PhD journey, like anything else in your life, there are pressures and drivers. There are things you have to get done.

But how can you do the work and make the most of it? And how can you remove the need for haste so you can make the most of it?

Nathan

No Time

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If it feels like getting ready for your viva is a lot of pressure, or if you feel like you already have a lot of priorities, then start small.

Do one thing. Find thirty minutes to read and commit to it, rather than rush and hurry to get it done. Make a small window in your busy life to make some notes. Ask a friend to spare half an hour to listen and ask questions.

If it feels like there is no time you still have to prep. Ask for help. Get support from friends and family to free you up to do the necessary work for getting ready.

If you only have a little time you still won’t need a lot to get ready for the viva.

Nathan

Just Start

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It’s definitely possible to over-invest your time in viva prep.

I started six weeks before my viva. I probably spent close to 200 hours getting ready.

That’s a LOT more than is needed.

It’s also possible to do too little or start so late that you need to rush to squeeze everything in. There’s a worry I’ve seen expressed by many candidates over the last decade about finding the right time to start.

Two weeks before? Three? A month? When?!

If you submit your thesis and find yourself wondering whether or not to do something, then do it. Just do something and release the tension and the wondering. Viva prep is cumulative: it all adds up no matter when you start or do it.

Most candidates don’t need to start preparing until a month before the viva.

Most candidates would probably benefit from having at least two weeks to spread the work out sensibly.

But if you’re wondering if now is the right time then just start.

Just read something. Just write something. Just talk. Just start and do something and know that you’re on your way to being ready for your viva.

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.

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