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Tag: the PhD journey

Nathan

The Epilogue

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That’s the time after your viva, after corrections, after your final thesis submission but before you actually graduate with your PhD.

Are you a Doctor at that point? Technically no, but you might not let that stop you from changing your bank cards.

Is there a special interim status? No, but you will probably feel good knowing that graduation is coming.

Can there be a long wait? There can, depending on where you are in the academic year. My viva was in June, I had finished corrections in July and submitted my final thesis in August: it was December before I was a PhD.

Is any of this bad? No, not really. If there’s anything to remember or anticipate about this first period of life after the PhD it’s that things take time. You’re done but not finished. You’ve a little further to go before the epilogue of your PhD journey concludes.

Nathan

Previously

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There are lots of questions you could be asked at your viva, including questions you’ve never been asked before! But by the time you get there you will have had lots of practise responding to questions, certainly enough to do well with your examiners.

There’s a lot of pressure on the whole situation, but you have experience with that sort of thing.

You can’t be sure what your examiners will ask, but before the day of the viva you can find out more about your examiners and rehearse for being in the viva. You can’t arrive perfect but you can take the time to get ready.

Yes, there’s a lot you won’t know about before the moments of your viva, but prior to arriving there you can do as much as possible to be ready for the situation.

Nathan

The End, And Onwards

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If you’re post-submission and trying to prepare for your viva but finding it hard then remember: you could not have got this far unless you were good.

Could you keep going for this long and this far if you were not talented?

Make a plan, ask for help, do a little each day, but remember: you did this. You got this far.

And if you got this far then you can get to the end of your PhD journey, and onto the next adventure.

Nathan

A Long Viva

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Candidates are always concerned about viva length, worried that theirs will be long – or too long, however that might be defined.

Remember: the longest viva will be shorter than the longest work day of your PhD. It has to be.

As challenging as your viva could be, it can’t be a greater challenge or require more of you than you have already given on your PhD journey.

Nathan

The Ugh Factor

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Ugh.

The most common response to thinking about thesis corrections.

Of course, any kind of corrections – minor or major – are unwanted, but they’re not bad in themselves. Examiners require corrections for lots of reasons: typos, clarity or because they’re just needed to help the thesis. Corrections are required for good reasons and to help a thesis be the best it can be.

And still: ugh.

You don’t want them, but you’re probably going to get them as a result of your viva. When you have a list from your examiners, break it down; figure out a plan of action and get them done.

Receiving thesis corrections? Ugh.

Passing your viva? Yay!

Nathan

The Final Checks

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It helps to check a few final things before your viva.

Do you have your thesis?

Do you have a notebook and pen?

Do you have something to drink?

Do you have a few weeks of prep in your recent history?

Do you have everything else you need for the venue for your viva, whether that’s a seminar room or your home?

Do you have years of effort, experience and success bound up in your PhD journey?

If you can answer yes to all of these then you’re in good shape for meeting your examiners!

Nathan

Knowing Enough

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You can’t know what the first question in your viva be will be until it’s asked.

You can’t know how long your viva will be until your examiners say, “OK, we’re done!”

You can’t know how you will respond to a tricky question until you experience it.

You can’t know in advance just what you’ll need to correct after the viva.

There’s a lot you can’t know before you get to the viva and experience it. That’s just the way it is.

But you can know that you’ve done enough to get you there. You know you’ve done enough to succeed. You know who your examiners are in advance, and can know all about their research, if that helps. You can know what to expect from the viva by reading regulations and listening to stories of viva experiences.

When you stop and think, there’s a lot you can know before you get to your viva.

Nathan

Making A Difference

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It’s what you must have done over the course of your PhD.

Your research and thesis must have a significant, original contribution – or, more simply, you must have made a difference. Something now exists that didn’t before and that something matters.

Remember that and be ready to talk about it in your viva.

Nathan

The Buffer

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I publish a blog post about the viva every day. To be sure that I meet that promise I write and polish posts far in advance. I like to make sure that I have several weeks completed at any time, acting as a sort of buffer, just in case something happens.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been very happy to have that buffer: on September 21st I tested positive for COVID for the first time. My case was mild, only two days of really feeling ill, then a long time of feeling drained after that. I was really glad to have my buffer of finished posts to give myself time off to recover. I didn’t worry that I was falling short of my goals.

As I write this though I have only a few days left and so really do have to get writing again!

 

Buffers are helpful in lots of ways and have lots of names. It could be a savings fund for emergencies, a pile of good books waiting to be read or a freezer full of home-cooked meals.

Practice and experience can be a kind of buffer too, building you up to be ready for future challenges. Early in my post-PhD life, a friend shared with me the value of regular practice: “Nathan, it gives you talent to burn.”

By the time you get to your viva you have invested a lot in your talent. You have a dragon’s hoard of knowledge, skill, ability and more. You don’t need to be concerned that you will fall short at the viva. You have a lot in your buffer – from years of experience – that you can bring to those few hours.

Nathan

Reflecting On Change

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What can you do now that you couldn’t at the start of your PhD?

What skills have you developed that you didn’t have when you began?

What do you now know that you didn’t when you started your research?

What have you created, in your thesis, that didn’t exist when you started your PhD?

Before your viva, reflect on how you’ve changed and how you’ve changed things. You’ve done so much – more than enough to find success at your viva.

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