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Tag: reflection

Nathan

The Starting Point

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The most important thing you can remember about the start of your PhD journey is that you are a long, long way from it.

This is more important than remembering your first meeting, the first paper you read or even why you wanted to pursue a PhD!

 

You have done more. You know more. You can do more.

You are more knowledgable, more capable and far better at what you do.

Remember that whatever else has happened in your PhD you have come a long way. You have not got this far through luck. You got here because you are good at what you do. You can build on that foundation to be ready for your viva.

Nathan

The Buddy System

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I’ve wondered about whether a viva prep club is feasible. Whether it’s centred around a university or in some kind of distributed community, would a group of PhD candidates be able to work alongside each other in some way – practically and being supportive – in order to get ready?

I don’t know. Given the different paths and timescales of PGRs, perhaps a club is too grand a scale to work on. It did get me thinking though. Here is a little idea:

  • Could you find a partner or a buddy to prepare alongside?
  • Someone to check in with you?
  • Someone to ask you questions?
  • Someone to help you reflect back on your journey and someone you could help in the same way?

A viva prep buddy could help you, nudge you, share ideas and help by understanding what you’re going through.

When one of you has their viva the other can report back. You can congratulate them and then look for a new buddy, who will start the process with you again. Over time, stories, experiences, expectations and help would pass from one person to another.

Can you find a buddy so you can help each other get ready for the viva?

Nathan

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

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Looking back is part of getting ready. You need to review and reflect on what you’ve done, why you did it and how you got here.

Looking ahead is part of getting ready. You need to know what to expect, what examiners look for and consequently think about how you will meet the needs of the viva.

You might need to focus on one more than the other for your personal viva preparations, but you need both in order to be ready for your viva.

Look back. Look ahead. Recognise how you got this far and what you still need to be ready.

Nathan

Three Prompts

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Take ten minutes to complete the following sentences. Write them out in full for yourself:

  1. When I started my PhD I didn’t know…
  2. One thing I did that I am proud of…
  3. I am confident that…

Sometimes questions, particularly questions about what we did or how we grew, can allow us to be humble or to evade or to get stuck on how things weren’t quite as we wanted.

Prompts are more direct.

“How did you do this?” gives room for you to talk around things.

“I did this…” is finishing a thought.

The three prompts above encourage reflection on your development, progress and ability. What other prompts might help you dig into your PhD success?

Nathan

Talent, Work and Time

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Success at the viva takes talent, work and time.

Talent means that you’re capable. As you get closer to submission and the viva take time to reflect on what you know, what you can do and how you think. Be sure of how you developed.

Work means you applied yourself. Reflect on what you did. Explore the practical elements of your research, the choices you made and the outcomes of your research.

Time means that it didn’t happen overnight. Remember the time to understand the real effort you’ve committed.

A PhD journey is busy. It’s long. It’s easy to forget or be distracted.

As you get closer to your viva date reflect on the talent you’ve built, the work you did and the time it took. Remind yourself that you’re the reason you have come so far.

Nathan

It Didn’t Work

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A failure or setback in your research doesn’t have to be a terrible source of stress for your viva. For any problems you faced, take a little time in your preparation to reflect and make notes:

  • Why was there an issue?
  • How did you attempt to resolve it?
  • What was the result of your efforts?

If something didn’t work then understand why and decide on how you might explain this to your examiners. If something didn’t work you need to prepare for talking about it.

Then, more importantly, remember what did work and explore how you would talk about that with your examiners.

You have to be ready to talk about problems- but it’s more important to talk about your success.

Nathan

Now & Then

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A lot can happen during the work of a PhD journey.

You might face challenges that seemed too big to overcome. You could have realised after weeks of work that you were at a dead end and would need to start again. You could make mistakes, fail or need a break to get your thoughts together.

 

That was then.

Now you know more. Now you know better.

Now you’re not perfect! But you are good.

You have learned a lot and done a lot. You might still feel some of the things that you felt during your PhD like a lack of confidence or a lack of capability.

It might not be simple, but try to remember that there is a big difference between now and then.

In a very real sense you are where you are now because of what you did then.

Nathan

Brains, Heart, Courage

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It’s not the first time I’ve written a post inspired by The Wizard of Oz…

Remember that Dorothy and her friends already had what they needed.

The Wizard tells them he can help if they do something for him. The Scarecrow will have his brains, the Tin Man a heart, the Lion will have courage and Dorothy will find a way home – but only if they face the Wicked Witch.

They already had everything they were looking for though, they just felt that they didn’t. They felt lacking or had the wrong impression of what something meant. Perhaps the Wizard could have told them but would they have believed unless they had been given the opportunity?

 

Brains, heart and courage are all needed for the viva. By the time you get to submission you have all three but like Dorothy’s companions you might not feel that way.

The thing that you might be missing is confidence. Impostor syndrome or doubts could make you think you don’t know enough, you’re not strong enough or even that you’re too worried. Confidence can help and confidence is something that you can find.

You don’t need to face a Wicked Witch to find it! And you don’t need to face a Wicked Witch at your viva to succeed.

Continue to exercise your brains. Do the work and listen to what your heart (or your feelings!) are telling you. Have courage to face the things that seem like problems. When you do, then you’ll find confidence for your viva.

Nathan

Push & Pull

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Your success is partly the result of many actions that push your work forward and create your thesis contribution.

Your examiners will want to know all about this at your viva: the story of your research, the actions that got it done and the result now that your thesis is finished.

The actions that push your work forward also pull you along. Through the process you learn, understand more and become a capable researcher.

Your examiners will want to know all about this at your viva as well: what you know, what you can do, how you think and more.

Remember in viva prep to reflect on and review both your thesis and yourself.

Nathan

Favourite Days

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I was feeling a little wistful recently as I looked back two decades to my own PhD.

What did I remember?

  • I remember sitting on a train one day when suddenly my research problem snapped into focus. By the time I reached my destination I had made the first breakthrough of my PhD.
  • I remembered attending residential workshops, meeting researchers from other departments and realised the variety of research that happened at Liverpool.
  • I remembered endless tea breaks with friends and colleagues.
  • I remembered taking over the often unused chalkboards in my office to write something out. I got stuck, called my supervisor and then realised the solution before he arrived. I remember feeling proud as I showed him a previously unknown result.
  • I remembered writing up my thesis and how it went much more smoothly when I planned my process.

I was trying to think of my favourite things from my PhD. Most of the things that came to mind also had some other aspect to them as well: something I learned, some small success or result.

 

Two thoughts came to me afterwards.

First, it struck me that it’s probably a good idea to think about your favourite days of your PhD journey as you get ready for your viva. You’re bound to think about success and growth and that can only be good for your confidence and preparation.

Second, looking back I didn’t count my viva as one of my favourite days. I don’t think that’s because it was one of my least favourite days! It’s probably more in the middle. There were certainly harder times and definitely better times too.

So: look back to help your prep and confidence, but perhaps don’t expect that your viva will be as terrible as you worry (or as great as your greatest days).

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