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Tag: plan your prep

Nathan

Time To Prep

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The time to prepare for the viva is after submission. There are many things you could do before submission that could help – and a lot you do while finishing your thesis will build you up for the viva – but your focus has to be on getting your thesis submitted.

The time to prepare for the viva is not a fixed period for everyone. Work and other responsibilities could mean a shorter time span for some or force activity to be spaced out over a long period than others. Preparing over the course of two to four weeks seems typical for most candidates.

The time to prepare will be better if you plan it: decide in advance how and when you will do the work. Sketch out a schedule that seems suitable and doesn’t leave you feeling stressed.

The time to prepare is getting ready for the particular challenge of the viva. It’s reading, note-making, practice and a chance to remind yourself: I can do this.

Nathan

First Things First

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A little tip for viva prep that can also be applied to any project: whenever you finish a period of activity or a task, leave a note for yourself of the first action you’ll take when you do more work.

  • “Re-read the summary of my methods.”
  • “Email supervisor to arrange mock viva.”
  • “Check recent paper by external.”
  • “Gather stationery for marking up thesis chapters.”

Whatever you need to do next time, leave a note for yourself: a reminder, a prompt, a shove to get started well.

It’s easy to sit down and think “What do I do?” but hard to ignore a clear direction you leave for yourself.

Nathan

Make A Space

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Gather the things you need to get ready.

Your thesis. A notebook or papers. Pens and assorted stationery. A loose page with a sketch of the coming weeks.

Decide where to do your prep. Find a place and make your space.

This is where you get ready. This is where the magic happens. Your little zone where your thesis is read and gets better. Where you think and write. Where you check and confirm. Where you ready yourself for a mock and for the real thing.

As you’re reading this post you might be imagining somewhere in particular to do your viva prep. Where are you? Would that space really work for you? And if not there, where? Where can you make a good space to concentrate, relax, think and prepare?

Nathan

Analyse & Annotate

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A helpful part of viva preparation is making your thesis ready for the viva. Then, throughout your discussions with your examiners you have a silent partner, able to support how you think and what you say.

You can write in the margins, stick Post-it Notes in, highlight and underline and do anything to annotate the book and make it better.

How can you make your thesis easier to navigate?

How can you make things easier to find?

How can you make things easier to see at a glance?

Those are the key questions that help you make a well-annotated thesis. You have to analyse what you have and annotate to make it better for you in the viva. Easier navigation could be achieved with Post-it Notes or highlighter tabs. A brief note at the start of each chapter could make things easier to find. Consistent highlighting practice might help you find key words and ideas at a glance.

Analyse and annotate. Find a system that works for you. Make a list, do the work and then benefit.

Nathan

Describing Viva Prep

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Viva preparation is not a production line. It doesn’t follow anything as neat as moving from one task to the next, finishing one component and moving neatly on to the next. Prep does not follow a flow diagram: it’s not reading followed by notes, checking papers and then a mock viva at the end.

Viva prep is a series of workouts. You practise various activities to feel ready. You read your thesis to help your memory; you read more later to build on that feeling. You make notes in your thesis, then review them to check they are sticking – and to find out how you think now.

Viva preparation is personal. It involves exploring. There are things you need to do, but many ways to do them. There are lots of steps, but some are steps to the side and some follow path you’ve already been down before.

It all helps. In some ways, viva prep is work to help you realise that you’re ready: you really did the work and you can go succeed in your viva.

Nathan

Prep Principles & Personal Prep

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Viva prep principles are fairly simple to share. How you put them into practice is not hard, but it is personal.

Read your thesis to refresh your memory. Annotate your copy so that information is easier to find or clearer to see on the page. Create summaries to help you clarify your thinking. Rehearse to help your comfort and confidence for the discussion in the viva.

Read your thesis – but when do you start? How much do you do at a time? It depends on how big your thesis is, how busy you are and when works best for you.

Annotation sounds good – but how much? What kind of things? What’s best? It all depends on how your thesis is written, what information will help you and how you like things to be organised.

And so on. The principles of viva prep are simple. How you need to do the work is personal. Reflecting on your thesis and circumstances will help you navigate getting the work done.

Nathan

Read Your Thesis

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When you sit down to read your thesis for the first time after submission try to do the following:

  • Read everything. Don’t skim past things you think you know. Read every word.
  • Read for pleasure. Don’t second-guess what you’ve submitted; try to enjoy what you have written.
  • Take your time. Start well in advance of your viva to relieve pressure. This is important work so don’t rush.
  • Note down typos. They don’t mean much unless they cause confusion; they can always be amended later.

Reading your thesis is probably the first step in your plan of viva preparation. Make the most of the opportunity to start well.

Nathan

Solve An Easier Problem

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If you look at your viva prep as just so much to do, a great big problem, and if that is weighing heavily on you – know that it doesn’t need to be this way. Big problems are hard to solve. You can make this easier on yourself.

Start small. Make a little plan. Do something. Read a page of your thesis before you worry about how much or how often you need to read the whole thing. Have one conversation with a friend about your work before you create any anxiety about having a mock viva – or responding to questions on the day.

Of course there are lots of things to think about with the viva and viva prep. For some aspects there are no simple solutions about what to do, how much and when. But you don’t have to start with those big things immediately. You can start small. Solve an easier problem.

Nathan

The Busy Factor

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If you’re busy and you need to get ready for your viva:

  • Plan your prep. Take a few minutes to sketch out what needs doing and when you could do it.
  • Ask for help. Talk to your supervisors, friends and colleagues about what you need and how they could support you.
  • Spread the work out. Don’t overburden your plans. Give yourself space to do a little work regularly.
  • Be kind to yourself. Do the work – but remember that you have already done a lot! The years of work for your PhD all count towards your preparation.

If, for some reason, you’re not busy then all of the above still helps!

Nathan

Rewarding Progress

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If you need any extra motivation to get viva prep done, consider setting rewards for when you finish tasks. Big or small, rewards help spur people to action. What sort of rewards might help you? What sort of milestones in your prep could you aim for?

  • What could you do to reward a read-through of your thesis?
  • How will you celebrate when you have finished exploring your examiners’ recent publications?
  • And how could you bring a smile to your face after completing a mock viva?

You could ask others to join you for some friendly social pressure, or set some future rewards by yourself. The fact that you set rewards for yourself will do nothing to dampen your enthusiasm, so long as the reward is suitably motivating!

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