Daily viva help for PhDs
I know, I know, it was a public holiday in the UK just a few weeks ago!
And it may be that today is or isn’t a day off for you.
Maybe it’s hard to find a whole day where you can say “this is just for me” but at the very least if your viva is in the near future please make sure you have some time to rest.
Make time for prep and make time for rest. You need it.
A little over a month back I got my 40th platinum trophy on my PlayStation account.
(please keep reading, I promise this is really related to the viva and getting ready!)
PlayStation games typically have trophies of various kinds: bronze, silver and gold. These might be awarded in parallel to progress through games for simple things like finishing a level or reaching a certain stage. Some, typically gold or silver, are awarded for doing difficult or time-consuming things in games.
A platinum trophy is then awarded for successfully obtaining all of the other trophies possible for the game. It’s common for a trophy list to include a variety of achievements: some linked to simple progress and others to more difficult or time-consuming aspects. Some involve incredible demonstrations of skill and dedication.
Typically you don’t need to collect the platinum to complete the game.
You don’t need the platinum to have enjoyed the game. The platinum is just another layer of self-imposed challenge. You don’t need to have done everything to succeed.
Which is how we get to vivas, viva prep and PhDs.
The thought of getting everything right, collecting all the results, reading all the papers, answering every question, getting no corrections and being finished in under 90 minutes can be really attractive to some candidates! This is the platinum trophy equivalent: I’ve got it all!
But you don’t need that. You don’t need that to succeed. You don’t need to focus that way to be ready.
You can do that if you want to but it’s most likely a distraction from being able to prepare well and engage well.
Reading your thesis, making notes, writing summaries, checking papers… It’s quiet time. It’s you time, alone, getting the work done.
The exception is rehearsal. Rehearsal needs talking, questions and people. You need more than you, your thesis and your thoughts.
Are you ready for the quiet time? Are you happy in the quiet? And if not, what can you do for yourself?
All the papers and books you read.
All the hours on all the days you showed up and worked.
All the words on all the pages that you wrote, rewrote, proof-read and wrote again.
All the meetings with your supervisor.
All the new things you found and created.
All the ideas that weren’t there before.
You bring all of that together and it means a lot. There’s always more or different things to do. There are always questions to be asked at the viva. But if you add up everything you did you can be sure that you have a contribution.
And you can be reminded that that contribution exists because of you.
What should I be concerned about when it comes to my viva?
There are two strong words in that question. “Should” you be concerned at all? If you’re putting your focus on potential negative impacts is “concern” a good way to frame things?
At face value the best response a stranger could give to that question would have to begin with “It depends…” If you’re worried then that is concerning. If you feel that there’s a gap in your knowledge, understanding or confidence then that needs addressing.
But it depends: do you feel anything like that?
Maybe instead of the opening question we need different ways to frame this:
There’s no need to feel concerned for your viva generally. If something is distracting you then unpick why, possibly in conversation with your supervisors. Beyond that, reframe your focus for getting ready.
The viva typically takes place in a small room with a small team of examiners, one person and their thesis and their history – and a closed door that screens it all off from the outside world.
There are lots of negative perceptions about what happens at vivas. The perceived attitudes of examiners, the nature of questions, the unlikely-but-possible negative outcomes – these all combine and make many candidates feel down on the whole experience.
All of this is perception though: if you ask PhD graduates typically they’ll describe a challenge but one that’s positive. Maybe tiring, but fair. Difficult but doable.
It’s hard to change the overall perception of the viva in academic culture, but you can steer yourself if it seems intimidating to you. Focus on regulations and expectations. Yes there’s a closed door and two examiners and a challenge but what can you focus on?
You’ll be asked a lot of questions but remember: you did the work.
The door is closed here and now perhaps, but you have years of work, weeks of prep and a few hours to show what you know. The closed door doesn’t mean that you’re closed off.
I’ve very rarely met PhD candidates who describe their research journey as completely smooth.
I’ve also, thankfully, very rarely met candidates who say that it was a total nightmare!
Most PhD candidates made plans, worked hard and did enough.
Sometimes plans worked out well. Sometimes their plans had to change for reasons that were not obvious beforehand or circumstances that changed suddenly. Perhaps a candidate couldn’t do all of the research they wanted. Perhaps the questions or processes had to change. Perhaps they had to do something else entirely.
I’ve seen candidates approaching their viva worry because they frame changes or shifts as compromises. “I wanted X but I had to do Y.” “This could have been great but that wasn’t all it could have been.”
But compromises are still chosen and choices are made for reasons. Examiners might want to unpick circumstances and choices at the viva, so it helps to review those reasons as you get ready.
A better reason for reviewing your choices though is that they help you to remember that you did the work. You were not always in control of the situation but being a clever and capable researcher you made a reasoned choice.
Unpick the whys to help explain your PhD journey to your examiners.
Unpick the whys to help you explore your capability and build your confidence.
There is research on viva lengths and the range of experiences. We could plot out the opening questions of a hundred PhD graduates to explore the first questions of vivas. We can examine the fine detail of requested corrections to see how much work is needed.
We can do this and more – and the result would be a big report that does not tell you what your viva will be like.
Keep your expectations small. Keep them simple.
What other small expectations do you have for your viva?
When thinking about your significant original contribution it’s natural to think about why something matters. The results and conclusions in your thesis have value and it’s right that someone – like your examiners – would want to explore that in your viva.
It makes sense to reflect on why your work matters and how you explain that as part of your viva prep. It’s also a good idea to think about who your work matters to as well.
For example, my thesis contained algorithms I’d developed for calculating certain properties of mathematical objects. That’s my simplest explanation without invoking fancy terms and funny symbols! This work mattered because these properties were typically very time-consuming for people to calculate. My algorithms had limits but they were very quick and easy to use.
That’s the why. The who, the people who would be interested, was a little more niche.
People interested in my work might be people who needed a tool. Or people who were looking to develop their own. Or even people looking for a little inspiration. But my work wasn’t for everyone.
Explore why your work matters as you get ready but remember to think about who it matters to as well.
I remember being excited for public holidays when I was a child because it was an extra day off! A longer weekend! Woohoo!
As an adult I’ve realised that despite my own desire to do nothing on a bank holiday, typically there’s someone else in my life who wants me to do something.
Ah well, that’s life! Still, if your viva is coming up then today might be a good to take a little time for you. An hour here or there to just rest.
Breathe. Don’t pick up your thesis. Don’t check those papers. Just rest.
There’s a day coming when you’ll have a very busy couple of hours. Use today to take a couple of hours just for you.