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Tag: reflection

Nathan

All The Choices

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When you reflect on your PhD journey, take a little time to think about the choices you made.

  • Some choices will have been about purpose. How you wanted to do things and how you did them. Were you able to follow your intentions? Did they lead where you expected?
  • Some choices will have been about options. Do you pick Plan A or Plan B? How did you make the choice? Did it work out as you thought it would and what did you learn along the way?
  • Some choices will have been hard. How did you arrive at that situation? Was there any other choice open to you?

Looking back, some choices might seem like they were obviously right. For some you might now think that you would choose differently. Hindsight is wonderful.

Looking back you can see that you have got to the end of your PhD with work, growth, adding to knowledge and by making choices. These choices alone don’t have to define you, but they do influence how you think about yourself, your work and your PhD.

If you’ve not arrived at your viva day yet, you still have time to make choices that can help you get ready.

Choose wisely.

Nathan

You Make It Good

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Remember that the contribution in your thesis is only there because you did the work.

Remember that your thesis, imperfect though it probably is, only exists because you took the time to write it.

Remember that you have got to your viva because you put in the effort over a very long period of time.

Whatever your research, your thesis and your viva have that make them good is because of you.

Nathan

Prep & Placebos

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Prep helps to you get ready for your viva. Placebos help you to feel ready for your viva.

Prep is the practical work that gets you closer: read your thesis, make notes, check papers, rehearse with a mock viva and so on.

Placebos are the necessary activities and artefacts that help you feel better: the routines and rituals, the music that is just right or the outfit that helps you feel confident.

Both have an element of personal preference. Prep involves specific kinds of work done in particular ways to meet your needs. Placebos can be cultural but are more typically unique to each person.

(my paperweight is just for me!)

Prep helps you get ready. Placebos help you feel ready. Together they help you to be ready.

Nathan

Hole In One

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It’s really unlikely that any person playing a game of golf – even the most experienced professional – will get a hole in one during a game.

It is still possible though. Players do get them from time to time, but it’s not why most people play.

Similarly, at your viva it’s possible you’ll get no corrections but it’s not very likely. It’s possible your viva will be finished in less than an hour but there’s not much that you can do to bring it about. And it’s possible that you’ll be asked a question that brings you to shocked silence, but far, far more likely that you’d have something to say.

You didn’t do all of that the work for a quick viva, an easy time and a hope that you wrote your thesis perfectly. You did the work and in the process learned how to do it well. You learned how to be a good, capable researcher.

Now the viva is your time to show your examiners you can do it. It’s not a rush, it’s not a game and it’s not done with a hope that it will be done as quickly as possible.

Nathan

Important Past Dates

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A companion post to these thoughts from November 2024!

The first day of your PhD: it was a long time ago and you’ve come a long way since then.

Your first supervisory meeting: whatever your relationship over the course of your PhD, you’ve grown as a result of your supervisor.

The first new thing that clicked: do you remember the moment when you made a significant connection?

Your biggest setback: what happened and what did you do as a result?

When you finished your first draft of your first chapter: how did it feel to get it done?

The final problem: why was it a problem? How did you solve it?

Looking back over all of these, whether you remember exact dates or not, the important thing is that you have grown. You were good at the start of your PhD and you have become more.

Viva prep involves relatively simple work like reading and making notes. The more difficult work is to reflect on your journey, what happened, what it means and why it makes you exactly right for the challenge you’ll face at your viva.

Nathan

Images Of Confidence

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What do you think of when you think of “confidence”?

Do you think of a friend or family member? A famous person like an actor or sportsperson? Your supervisor?

I think of this image:

A single frame from a 1940s Superman cartoon. Partially silhouetted by light from behind against a general blue background. Superman stands with his hand on his hips, legs braced, back straight, chest out.

I used to watch 1940s Superman cartoons repeatedly when I was a child. It was the only video cassette we had! Somewhere along the way this image got lodged in my mind as a shorthand for confidence.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it’s because despite the superpowers and general superhero associations, it represents a choice: “I want to do this” or maybe “I want to follow a specific path”.

Confidence is the result of a choice: you can’t choose to have confidence but you can choose to pursue confidence. The image above reminds me that I can take steps to develop and maintain my confidence.

What image do you think of when you think of “confidence”? And what does that image mean to you? And what else are you doing to build up up your self-confidence before your viva?

Nathan

Up At The Top

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I like a good analogy, but have never been fully convinced of comparing the end of the PhD to reaching the top of a mountain. Yes, it might be an uphill struggle at times, but hopefully it won’t leave you exhausted, struggling for air and wearing many layers of extreme weather clothing!

The one element I like in the idea though is the view.

The view from the top of a mountain must be pretty special. The view from the end of the PhD is pretty impressive. Looking back and looking down you could see the route you’ve taken; you might remember challenges you’ve passed, the paths you navigated well and maybe even the places you had to take advice from others.

The viva is not quite the end of the PhD, not really, but like the top of a mountain it’s a good place to pause and check out the view.

How far you’ve come, how you got there – and possibly where you might go next.

Nathan

Considering Prep

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If you’re trying to explore any problem or project then remember SWOT:

  • What strengths do you have that could help?
  • Do you have any weaknesses that could make this more difficult?
  • What opportunities might you take advantage of in this situation?
  • Are there any threats to your success?

In particular, when it comes to viva prep, you could apply the questions to consider the following:

  • What could you consider as strengths for getting ready? (resources, knowledge, skills)
  • What weaknesses do you need to address? (resources, circumstances, perspectives)
  • Are there opportunities you could use to help you get ready? (people, events, resources)
  • Are there any threats to getting the work done? (events, risks, situations)

Exploring each of these could help you plan your viva preparation.

Remember that while your plans might not go exactly as you want, given the momentum you have from your PhD journey so far and the talent you have built up there are no real threats that could stop you being prepared for your viva.

Nathan

Bumbling Along

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There was a time when I would have described my PhD journey as incredibly lucky. Somehow, I made it through.

I had months where it seemed like nothing worked. Weeks where I couldn’t figure out how to get something simple done.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I arrived at viva time and felt a lack of confidence in myself. How could I feel good about my chances of success when I had somehow bumbled my way to submission?

I had a little confidence that my thesis had some good results – but what about me? Was I any good?

 

Sixteen years later, a little hindsight and a lot of self-reflection and I feel differently.

I wasn’t perfect but I worked hard. It wasn’t luck that got me through but I had my share of good fortune. I had funding, I had a good supervisor and I found topics to explore that lead to interesting results. I developed myself and my research.

But I didn’t see it that way at the time. I just kept thinking, because of all the challenges in my projects, that somehow I was “luckily” making it through.

If you’re looking for confidence for your viva start by reflecting on the journey. Recognise the work you’ve done. Appreciate the good fortune you’ve encountered. Highlight the success that you have made.

There’s no way you can get to submission by simply bumbling along.

Nathan

At The Last Minute

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Don’t wait and start your viva prep in the week of your viva.

Don’t wait to ask your supervisor about something important until a few days beforehand.

And don’t wait until the last minute before your viva to think about how you feel about it all!

Sooner, rather than later, think about how you’ll get ready.

Sketch plans. Ask questions. Reflect on your PhD and how you’ve developed both yourself and your research.

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