You Are Here

Tag: thanksgiving

Nathan

Say Thank You

Daily Post

Thanksgiving isn’t a UK holiday but I think it’s a nice nudge to remember what someone is thankful for and to encourage the spirit of saying thank you.

Say thank you to your supervisors and other academic supporters for what they’ve done to help steer and guide your progress. Remember that there’s a lot they can do to help you as you finish your PhD journey.

Say thank you to your friends and colleagues in your department for the community that you’ve created together. They can continue that as you get ready for your viva as well. Remember to ask them about their viva experiences to help build your understanding of what to expect.

Say thank you to your university’s researcher development team and check in with them to see what else they can offer to help you get ready for your viva.

Say thank you to family and friends! Make sure they know what their support means to you. Be clear when you ask them for support as you get ready for your viva.

Say thank you to your examiners after your viva. Be thankful for their work, their questions and the discussion that has been integral to your PhD success.

There’s a lot of support around you and a lot of thanks to give out. Passing your viva is down to you and your efforts but you have a lot of help around you before then.

 

And whether this is your first Viva Survivors post or your thousandth, thank you for reading!

Nathan

Being Thankful

Daily Post

Every night before we put our daughter to bed, we share what we’re thankful for as a family. We’re thankful that we’ve had three meals that day, that something funny happened, that we’re part of a nice school community, that we read a good story, that we have a family… Big or small, serious and silly, we share what has helped that day be good (or what has been good in a hard day).

We’ve done this for three or four years I think, and it helps. It helps us not take things for granted.

It’s helped a lot this year.

I think it would have been a valuable thing to be aware of as I was finishing my PhD. It was easy to put a lot of pressure on myself, to doubt that things would go well in the viva (so many doubts!!), but I had a lot to be thankful for:

  • I could have been thankful that my supervisor was patient and supportive.
  • I could have been thankful that I had a community around me that cared.
  • I could have been thankful that I knew my examiners a little, so had some idea of how they would behave.
  • I could have been thankful that my thesis went in on time.
  • I could have been thankful that I had ample time to prepare.
  • I could have been thankful that I had results I was certain of.

But for the most part I read my thesis, made notes and wondered what my examiners would say. All of the above was true, but I didn’t recognise it. Simply reflecting on “What are you thankful for?” could have helped me appreciate some of it. I probably would have still been nervous, but perhaps with a little more perspective on how I’d got to the viva, and what that might mean. I think it would have helped me.

I offer it as a thought: when it comes to your PhD, your thesis, your viva – what are you thankful for?

 

Massive thanks to Dr Pooky Knightsmith, who was my guest on the podcast a long time ago! I spotted her daily practice of being thankful some years back on Twitter, and this inspired our family bedtime routine.