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Tag: viva confidence

Nathan

Final Words

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The viva is not the only time in your life when you will have a big, important conversation about your PhD. It might be the final time though and it will be your only viva. As you prepare, take some time to think about how you can get as much as you need to from the experience.

  • How would you like your viva to conclude?
  • Are there specific questions you want to hear from your examiners by the end?
  • Is there an opinion you’d like to make sure you take time to ask for?

You might not be able to direct your viva but there are aspects you might be able to influence. If you have questions, make a list and take them with you so you remember to ask them.

Nathan

A Changing Why

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Why did you want to do a PhD?

Why did you want to explore the topics or projects you did?

Why did you keep going even when your PhD journey was hard?

Why did you want a PhD still when you were finishing?

Your examiners might not ask you directly about why you’ve been doing a PhD, but motivations are worth reflecting on before your viva. The reasons you started and kept going might change.

It helps to remind yourself why you did all this work, either to help with sharing things with your examiners or to keep you motivated for the final weeks of your PhD.

Nathan

No Shame

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I’ve sensed the worry and the shame behind many PhD candidates’ questions about the viva.

  • If only I’d done more, I could have worked harder…
  • If I knew then what I know now I wouldn’t have made that mistake…
  • Ugh…
  • The stupid pandemic made it go wrong and now I don’t have what I wanted…

Could someone do more or different than what you’ve done for your PhD? Perhaps.

Should you feel ashamed or nervous or in any way bad because you haven’t done more or different to what you’ve done? Absolutely not.

Remember that you couldn’t have got this far with your PhD journey unless you had done something right. Not just one something. A lot of somethings. You have got this far because you did the hard work and enough of that hard work brought success to you.

Maybe you could have done more or different to what you’ve done.

Maybe, but taking time to think about that is probably a distraction.

If it helps, be aware of the alternatives, but focus on what you did and who you became – because more than anything that’s what your examiners will want to talk about at your viva.

Nathan

Meant To Be

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Your viva is your viva. It’s what you’re supposed to be doing.

It’s your very own Goldilocks exam: just right for what you’ve done, how long you’ve been doing it, what you’ve written and who you’ve become.

The questions might be unknown before you hear them but they are all for you; they’re centred on your research, your experience, your thesis and you as a researcher.

It’s your viva, it’s for no-one else.

Being nervous is normal but you are exactly where you’re meant to be when you have your viva.

Nathan

The Best!

Daily Post

I meet the occasional PhD candidate who is excited. That’s a good thing and I wonder sometimes about how to encourage excitement more generally. It would be nice to go to the viva with eagerness.

But expecting your viva to be the best conversation, matching all your hopes and dreams is a sure way to find disappointment.

You don’t know exactly what your examiners will ask. If they ask something you don’t want, that will diminish how you feel. If they don’t ask something you really want then that will be disappointing too! You don’t know how long your viva will be, so hoping for either a short chat or a long and in-depth discussion is just that: a hope that your viva will go a certain way.

Hoping that your viva will be the best exam ever leaves things out of your control. Instead of hoping for the best, do your best to be prepared, to find out what you can reasonably expect, to be ready to engage with your examiners whatever they ask and however long your viva happens to be.

You can’t expect your viva to be the best thing ever. But you can work towards enjoying it as an experience – and you can reasonably expect that you will succeed.

Nathan

Expectations & Exceptions

Daily Post

Viva experiences and stories give rise to consistent patterns of expectation. There are always exceptions though. Regulations can be slightly different, the culture of a department could ask for a different format or a candidate’s research itself could be outside of what’s typical.

  • Vivas in the UK have two examiners, apart from the ones that, for very specific reasons, have three or more.
  • Viva examiners are academics – unless your external is an experienced but non-academic expert.
  • Vivas always take place in seminar rooms – well until relatively recently and now video vivas are an established option!

Vivas are often in the two to three hour range, but they can be shorter or longer. Most people get minor corrections but some don’t. It’s always a good idea to take your own refreshments but there are universities which make sure their vivas are catered.

Viva expectations are helpful, but always look for whether or not any exceptions might apply to your situation. Talk with friends, colleagues and your supervisor in the first instance so that you can build certainty. Whatever the possible exception, remember that the purpose of the viva is always the same. Remember what you and your examiners are there to do.

Nathan

Imagine Your Success

Daily Post

What will it be like to hear your examiners congratulate you?

What do you think your friends and family will say?

How do you want to celebrate passing your viva?

It helps to imagine what success might be like. You can use it to make future plans and motivate your viva preparation. Looking ahead can build your confidence up too. If you can dream it, maybe you can make it real.

 

What corrections do you think you might get?

How long are you given to complete minor corrections at your university?

How busy might you be during the likely correction period?

It helps to think about the likely practicalities of viva success! Most candidates are asked to complete minor corrections, so it’s probable that you will have to do that too. Looking ahead can help you to think about the weeks after your viva realistically.

 

Imagine your success, both the happy realities of passing your viva and the practical nature of finishing your PhD.

Nathan

How You Find Confidence

Daily Post

You have to look for it.

If you want to feel confident for your viva it’s not enough to hope that you will feel good on the day. You have to do something before then to feel confident.

Reflecting on your PhD journey is a good start. Remembering and reminding yourself of the successes you’ve made and the growth in your knowledge and capability.

Highlight your particular achievements. Make a list and write about why these things matter and help you to feel good.

Explore viva expectations to get a sense of what happens in vivas. Consider how suitable you are to thrive in that situation: talking about yourself and the work you have done.

Decide on specific actions to take in the days leading up to your viva to feel better. What can you do to prompt confident feelings? What can you do to remind yourself of the many successes you’ve had?

It’s not enough to hope you feel confident. You have to search for and find confidence.

Nathan

Yes, You Can

Daily Post

Can you know what to expect from the viva process?

Yes, you can because there are regulations and stories that describe the viva process. Yours will be unique but you can still know enough to know what to expect.

 

Can you know enough about your examiners to feel confident meeting them?

Yes, you can: talk to your supervisor and check your examiners’ recent publications to get a sense of who they are.

 

Can you be prepared for the viva?

Yes, you can be prepared for your viva! Take time to make a plan and do the work. There’s no shortcuts but also no long and hard tasks either.

 

Can you engage well with your examiners’ questions and respond to their comments?

Yes, you can engage well with your examiners at the viva. You know your stuff, you’ve taken time to prepare and a little rehearsal will help you be ready.

 

Can you succeed at your viva?

Yes, you can.

Nathan

Misunderstood

Daily Post

Confusion can happen in the viva. Your examiners might not understand. They could have read a passage and got a different idea to what you meant. You could misunderstand a question, a comment or the point of a conversation.

Confusion in the viva doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wrong, your examiners are wrong or that something is wrong. It just means that there is confusion…

…but eventually confusion clears. It’s not comfortable but not harmful to your viva. It’s simply a possible part of the process.

It’s possible to actively work around confusion too. Pause to think. Check your thesis. Ask questions and in particular ask them to improve clarity. Check that your points are being understood.

Confusion isn’t comfortable but consideration and conversation clears the way to clarity.

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