Not As Expected
If things don’t go as planned you have to act.
- If your research doesn’t go as planned, what do you do instead?
- If the first choice for your external examiner isn’t available who do you ask?
- If your mock viva has to be cancelled what do you do now?
- And if your viva doesn’t follow expectations in some way, what do you do?
You always have to do something. It’s important to remember that you always have agency. The unexpected shows up and you have to do something and you do and then you move on to the next thing.
You might need to ask for help or information. You might even need to check the regulations but, regardless, if something doesn’t follow your plan or expectations you’ll need to do something.
You can do your best, take action and move forward – and remember that while some things don’t go as expected a lot does work out.
Remind yourself of your effort and your impact and be thankful if you can for all the things in your PhD journey that worked out as planned.
PS: If you’re looking for more viva help and advice in the coming months then follow my Eventbrite page to get notified of future independent webinars like Viva Survivor and 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva. Dates coming soon!