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Tag: viva confidence

Nathan

Holding On

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At the start of a new academic year I’m reminded of how much my life has changed over the last few years; while for the most part I am very happy with where I am now, I still remember vividly how sharp and how stark things have been at times.

Survive means manage to keep going in difficult circumstances – and while it doesn’t have to be dire to be difficult it helps to reflect a little and remember how you have made it through.

If you have survived this far that means you kept going. How? What did you do through your PhD to make it so far when things have been so tough? What have you learned about yourself? How did you adapt?

As your viva comes closer, whatever else you feel, remember that you persisted. Whatever bad times you’ve had, you held on, you made it through. You were determined, often enough, to get to the end. How did you hold on? And what you can do now to keep holding on until your viva is done?

Nathan

Stretches

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When have you been stretched during your PhD? What projects or work have you done that was a challenge to your skills and knowledge?

I think it’s unhelpful to view the PhD (and the viva) as the most awesome and incredible challenge in the world ever™ – but it’s also unhelpful to not recognise the growth that happens through the challenges someone faces along the way.

Reflect on the challenges. Reflect on the stretches – when they happened, why they happened, what you learned. You couldn’t have got this far without becoming better. Whenever your viva is, remember that throughout your PhD you have become more than what you were at the start.

More talented. More skilled. More knowledgeable. More accomplished.

All the stretches along the way have helped you become who you are today. Remember that and be confident for the viva.

Nathan

Presenting Helps

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Two words I wish someone had shared with me over my PhD journey.

Presenting helps in so many ways to build someone up – both for the challenges of doing a PhD, succeeding in the viva and being more ready for life afterwards.

Presenting helps because it makes you think of your audience. To communicate you have to think about who they are, what they want and what they need from you.

Presenting helps because it encourages you to be clear. You have to really think about your message, how you express it, how you structure it and so on. This can be a real benefit for writing, for thinking and for asking questions.

Presenting helps because it makes the presenter nervous – of course, that’s not always a comfortable thing! It helps because, if you take some time, you realise that nervousness is related to the importance of what you’re saying. You have something valuable to share.

Presenting helps because it’s an iterative learning process: there’s always something to learn, something you can take away for the next time.

Presenting throughout the PhD can help you a lot. Presenting as part of viva preparation can be really useful to help explore the words you use to explain your research – and to clarify what makes your work valuable.

Nathan

Describe The Ideal

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How would you describe an ideal examiner for your viva?

Think about the qualities or attributes that they might have. Describe their research.

There might not be an individual you know of who meets these criteria. It may be close though: someone who satisfies three or four out of five points you might write down.

Now, what could you do to share this idea with your supervisor? You can’t choose your examiners, you can’t find perfection, but can you find someone close to the ideal you have in mind?

Nathan

Suddenly September

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Where does the time go?! Just like that autumn is around the corner, Christmas is really not that far away when you think about it and 2023 is within shouting distance!

Of course, there’s no suddenly about it. Day by day we move forward, the weeks pass, the months go by and then we’re at another mark on the calendar.

Little by little we “suddenly” find ourselves at September.

 

It’s helpful to keep this in mind for your viva too.

It doesn’t suddenly appear. You’re not going to suddenly be surprised by it.

It may feel like you’re all of a sudden at the viva – where did the last few years go?! – but it really is the case that you’ve worked your way to that place over a long period of time.

Day by day you work on your PhD. Week by week you find new things. Month by month you get better. Year by year you make something that sets you apart.

Nathan

Every Day The Same

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With hindsight my PhD journey feels a lot like the movie Groundhog Day.

Every day was get up, go to the office, do some maths, go home, go to bed, get up, go to the office… And so on. There was a definite rhythm to things; my days and weeks punctuated with breaks, seminars and meetings at the same times.

Until submission! Until the viva! Two very different days, days when everything changes. No more repetition, and like the end of Groundhog Day, uncertainty – but positivity – about the future.

What will happen next? Who knows – but it won’t be the same as every other day.

I don’t mean to sound negative about my PhD. It was a formative time in my life; I didn’t find all the answers but at least I realised what I was missing. I had a good foundation to build on for life afterwards. However it was hard: every day the same, more or less. Work work work work work, and occasionally some results, then back to work.

I’m not negative, but it can be hard if your experience is similar to see the change in yourself. The development in your abilities, talents, knowledge and the contribution you make. If you don’t see that, by the time you reach submission day or viva day you might feel unprepared for the new challenges ahead.

Before your viva take a little time to reflect on your PhD journey. The thousand or more days of the PhD have made a difference to you.

What is that difference? How far have you come? And how does that set you up well for the viva and for life after the PhD?

Nathan

Nervous or Confident?

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You don’t have to feel one or the other for your viva. In fact, it’s likely that on the day and in the time leading up to your viva you could feel a whole range of things.

Nervousness comes from feeling the importance of viva day.

Confidence flows from feeling sure of your ability, knowledge and contribution.

The viva is important, so of course you might feel nervous. But you’re also capable, knowledgeable and someone who has done the work. As a result, you can feel confident.

It’s not either-or. You may feel nervous and confident: perhaps a little uncomfortable from the event itself, but hopefully sure of your place in the process.

Nathan

Time To Prep

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The time to prepare for the viva is after submission. There are many things you could do before submission that could help – and a lot you do while finishing your thesis will build you up for the viva – but your focus has to be on getting your thesis submitted.

The time to prepare for the viva is not a fixed period for everyone. Work and other responsibilities could mean a shorter time span for some or force activity to be spaced out over a long period than others. Preparing over the course of two to four weeks seems typical for most candidates.

The time to prepare will be better if you plan it: decide in advance how and when you will do the work. Sketch out a schedule that seems suitable and doesn’t leave you feeling stressed.

The time to prepare is getting ready for the particular challenge of the viva. It’s reading, note-making, practice and a chance to remind yourself: I can do this.

Nathan

You Don’t Need To Be Perfect

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You don’t need to have done perfect research.

You don’t need to have written the perfect thesis.

You can’t have done every possible task in preparation.

You don’t need to have an answer for everything.

You don’t need to be perfect to succeed in your viva.

Work hard, do your best, find out what to expect, prepare as well as you can.

You don’t need to be perfect: you just need to be you.

Nathan

Remember Who

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As you prepare for your viva, remember who did the work.

Remember who read the papers.

Remember who figured things out.

Remember who wrote your thesis.

Remember who became more capable and more knowledgeable.

Remember who made a real contribution to research.

Remember who you are, what you did and what you can do.

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