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Nathan

Boss Battle

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A possible screenshot of the viva has people imagining it’s like facing end-of-level baddies in a computer game.

After all of the trials and tribulations of doing research, your examiners appear through the fog, two mysterious and challenging foes! Whatever you’ve done before, the rules don’t apply to them!! They’re bigger than the other baddies, tougher, hit harder and if you’re not careful you’re doomed!!!

Well. That’s one way to look at things.

If we accept it then we have to accept everything else from the picture: you’ve reached the end of the level. You’ve fought your way through, and you’ve got there, and it’s not by accident. While a boss battle can seem much tougher, they’re based around all of the same moves that you’ve done in the rest of the game. There’s a different focus maybe, and a different challenge, but it’s well within your capabilities.

There are no cheat codes in the viva – but you don’t need them if you’ve got there.

Nathan

On Weakness

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No research programme can’t be improved. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made or limits imposed. Sometimes experiments or investigations don’t work out the way you hope they will. That doesn’t mean your thesis is fundamentally flawed, or your research is weak.

Still, a lot of PhD candidates ask me, “How do I talk about weakness in my viva?”

If there’s really something that could be better then you can discuss it by being honest, being clear and by talking about what’s great in your research and thesis.

  • Be honest: don’t try to hide or bluff and hope that your examiners will move on.
  • Be clear: set out the facts and your reasons, what they mean and why.
  • Talk about what’s great: not to distract, but to honestly persuade.

If there’s something you consider weak about your thesis or research, you don’t have to bring it up as you start the viva. You do have a responsibility to have thought about it and be willing to engage with your examiners. That’s no different to anything else in your research though.

You can’t write a perfect thesis. But you can’t get to the end of the PhD by accident either.

Remember: just because you think something is weak, it doesn’t mean that it is. If your examiners frame something as being weak, and you disagree, it doesn’t mean that they are right.

“Weakness” is a shorthand that people use for limitations, lack of time, doubts, worries and uncertainty. By all means consider how things could be improved or be different, but perhaps consider using a more accurate word to describe what you’re thinking about.

Nathan

A Conundrum

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Every viva is a custom exam to examine one particular person and their thesis. But every viva takes place according to practices that are consistent across the UK, and according to regulations and expectations that are consistent with an institution.

Different and the same.

Taken together this creates a slightly head-scratching puzzle, but not an impossible one. To solve it for yourself, first check your university’s regulations to see what to expect broadly. Then talk to friends to get a sense of what their vivas were like.

Finally, realise that your own will be unique. The expectations create an environment for you to thrive in. The variety comes from you and your work, not from a lack of rigour.

Problem solved.

Nathan

Relatively Important

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Was my viva important? Yes, but…

  • Have I had worse days before or since? Yes.
  • Have I had better days? Yes.
  • More stressful? Yes.
  • Have I worked harder? Yes.
  • Have I thought more deeply? Yes.
  • Have I felt more pressured? Yes.

Was my viva important? Yes, but it’s not in the top ten most important days of my life.

It’s not even in the top ten most important days of my PhD.

Your viva is important, of course it is, and it may feel like the most important thing ever. But are you framing it as too big of a deal? Are you making it more important than everything you’ve done? Are you attaching more stress to it than you need to?

Reflect a little for yourself. How you feel about your viva can be a tricky problem to solve. A guy on the internet saying that you’ll have better, worse and more stressful days doesn’t magically solve how you might feel…

…but it’s a start. Where do you go from there?

Nathan

Don’t Worry

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This is one of the phrases that seems useful on the surface. An encouragement to steer someone away from nerves.

  • “Don’t worry, you’ve done the hard work…”
  • “Don’t worry, you’re the expert…”
  • “Don’t worry, they’re not there to interrogate you…”

Here’s the thing: “don’t worry” doesn’t stop people from worrying! I’ve been pondering this for a while, and I am trying to be really conscious about the words I use in the future. I know I’ve said it before but I’m trying to remove it from my “viva help vocabulary”.

All of the reasons above are true, as justifications for why someone doesn’t need to be worried. It’s difficult for an already worried or nervous person to hear those reasons when they hear “don’t worry” first.

Helping a friend prepare? Don’t say “don’t worry”. Simply try to help them focus on their achievements. Get them to talk to you about the work. Steer their perspective.

Get them to realise how talented they are to have submitted their thesis, and how well-placed they are to succeed in their viva.

Nathan

Exclusive

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If you want

  • to get opinions on taking your research further…
  • finding homes for publications…
  • anything connected with your future academic career…

…there aren’t many people you could ask, who could base it on your work and not just offer general advice.

The viva is an exam, but there will be opportunities to ask for your examiners ideas and opinions. Think carefully about what you would want opinions on. Make a list of questions to help your future self.

And if your viva is some way off, think carefully about who might make for good examiners. Who would you want to be part of an exclusive little group to help you?

Nathan

Pop Quiz!

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The viva begins…

Quick! Ten words or less, what’s the main contribution in your thesis?

DING!

Why did you follow the methodology that you did? Hurry!

DING!

Rush, rush! What would you do differently if you started again?

DING!

…and so on.

Have you heard of a viva like this? No? Nor have I, and yet candidates worry about pausing before they answer. The viva’s not a rapid fire exam, a game show or a straight test of memory. Examiners are looking to explore, to host a discussion.

Get ready for a conversation, not a quiz.

Nathan

The Waiting Game

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The talking part of the viva regularly ends with the candidate being asked to wait while the examiners have a discussion. I remember sitting slightly dazed and confused in my office, staring at my computer, clicking through webpages and wondering how long it would be.

You could be asked to go to your office, wait outside, or go find your supervisor.

You might need the loo, or need a drink, or be really hungry!

Maybe you’ll want to go for a walk, get some fresh air, or start texting friends.

Whatever you do, you’re waiting, waiting, waiting…

I’ve heard ranges from a minute to half an hour. You won’t know in advance.

Think about what you might do in those moments. You may be directed to do something in particular, but have an idea of what you could do to distract or decompress after the talking stops.

Tick-tock tick-tock and then you’re called back in…

Nathan

Fine

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Hey John, how was your viva? “It was fine.”

Hi Kate, how was your viva? “Fine, thanks.”

Tom, how did you feel about your viva? “Fine.”

I asked lots of friends about their vivas while I was a PhD student. They all said it was fine and I left it at that. When my own came around I felt fine too, until the night before. Insomnia hit and I lay awake for hours and hours. I didn’t know what to expect and now I wasn’t fine.

Fine is nice, fine is reassuring, but fine doesn’t tell you anything. Ask specific questions, push for specific answers and set some reasonable expectations for the viva.

Then you will be fine.

Nathan

Imaginary Numbers

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In maths the symbol i is used to denote the square-root of -1. It’s an imaginary number, an unreal but valuable concept. They’re useful, but most people go through life without being troubled by them or what they mean.

I often think all of the stats about the viva are kind of like imaginary numbers. It’s useful to know nearly everyone passes, that most vivas are finished in three hours or less, that around 85% of people get minor corrections. But to be well well-prepared for the viva you don’t have to dwell on the statistics.

They could be a confidence boost for you, but it’s far more valuable to regularly remember you lived the life and did the work that lead to your thesis. You’re a talented researcher: knowledgeable enough and experienced enough to meet the demands of the viva.

Don’t focus on the imaginary numbers: focus on what’s real.

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