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Tag: viva expectations

Nathan

Boss Music

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Video game music has come a long way from my childhood in the 1980s. Beeps and boops have been replaced by orchestral compositions that rival classical composers and the biggest movies. The scale, variety and sheer power of some video game scores is astonishing.

I really like it when music for boss battles is different to the general music and soundscape for the rest of the game. Some games use different music for different bosses, usually with great significance – and some even distinguish different phases of the same fight!

(this piece of music from the sublime Hades springs to mind)

Examiners are not the final bosses of your PhD journey and you’re certainly not there to fight them! But one connecting element between them and video game boss music is that there is a change of pace. A different challenge. More focus. More urgency. A greater need to do well and a limited circumstance to do it.

You already know everything you need to know. You’ve completed many challenges to get to the viva. As you prepare, breathe and think, “What else? What am I bringing to this? What else do I need?”

And as music is a fantastic catalyst for action and emotion, consider what music could help you as you prepare. What could you listen to in order to feel calm? To feel happy? To give you focus? What could you listen to and feel more confident?

(this piece of music from the sublime Hades springs to mind!)

Nathan

Find A Guide

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Imagine a service on the internet or app on your phone: at the press of a button and by answering a few questions you could be connected to a PhD graduate who could tell you all about their viva.

They would be someone who had completed their PhD in the last few years. They couldn’t have done the same research as you, but would have either a similar knowledge base or common understanding of terms and methods. You could ask them about their prep and their viva. What did they do? What worked for them? What happened? How did they feel?

You could unpick expectations by learning about their experience. In thirty minutes you could get a good sense of the sort of thing that happens at vivas in your research area. This app or website wouldn’t give you a perfect understanding but rather a good idea.

How much would this app or service cost? How would it work? I don’t know!

But that’s OK. You don’t need it. You can already get the same outcome today already.

Think about who you know from your department: who could you ask who has recently completed their PhD? Who do you know who has relevant experience and information? Who could be your guide to what to expect at your viva? Who could share ideas of what could help you to get ready?

Nathan

A Small Word

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Viva.

We can say doctoral defence and thesis examination, but those four letters are enough. Two syllables capture a lot of meaning: it’s the end, an exam, requires prep, carries a lot of emotional significance and a certain degree of mystery.

There are questions in a viva and questions about the viva. There are experiences that lead to expectations and regulations that require reading-up. It’s the final big thing of a PhD but not the end.

Viva is a small word that looms large for a PhD candidate. Figure out what it means to you, what you need to know and what you need to do to be ready for yours.

It’s a small word but not a small thing.

Nathan

No Understatement

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Before your viva, reflect on the best of your work, your results and your thesis.

How can you communicate the value of what you’ve done?

What are the words that will share how good your thesis is?

Write summaries, capture keywords and rehearse talking about your work. Don’t leave it to the viva and don’t be too humble.Don’t bluster or over-exaggerate the outcomes of your work, but also don’t focus on the might-have-beens and if-onlys of the pandemic.

If you need to talk about the impact of problems and obstacles then do so, but leave no room for doubt that your work is valuable and that you are capable.

Nathan

On Viva Wisdom

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How many of the following bits of viva wisdom have you heard before?

  • The first question will be easy, the last one won’t be.
  • No-one fails.
  • Your examiners will just be your supervisor’s friends, so there’s nothing to worry about.
  • You just need to read your thesis.
  • Your supervisors wouldn’t let you submit if your thesis wasn’t good enough.

I’ve heard them many times – although, to be fair, I have worked in this area for over a decade and spoken to a lot of people about vivas! None of the points above are strictly true – the first and last, while veering closest to reality, lack a lot of context.

Viva wisdom is often shared as a means to defuse worries and anxiety. It’s an attempt to cover everyone or every situation. Viva wisdom often falls short because it doesn’t address specific concerns.

I’m not a fan of typical viva wisdom.

Advice? Tips? Practical approaches? Yes!

Wisdom? No.

Look for help, not simple statements. If a piece of advice or wisdom about the viva seems too simple or too good to be true, look deeper.

Look for the actions you need to take, because getting ready for the viva involves taking steps and doing things!

Nathan

Getting Started

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Again and again this year I am reminded of a lesson I’ve heard many times.

“Getting started changes everything.”

When I was wondering what to do exactly for 101 Steps To A Great Viva or how to run a Kickstarter, getting started gave me a sense of how much work to do and what the possibilities were.

When I was turning over ideas for a bespoke webinar but not making progress, getting started made me see what ideas I could incorporate from other sessions and helped me find cool things to do with the cohort.

And when I was feeling overwhelmed by a big writing project, getting started allowed me to get a feel for the topic, the points and the humour I wanted to bring to it.

Planning is essential. Information is necessary. A little forethought can really help.

But sometimes these things leads to procrastination. Delay. Avoidance.

Starting viva prep changes everything: you’re on the path to being ready.

Starting to reflect on your PhD journey changes everything: you build your confidence rather than wonder if you’re good enough.

Starting your viva changes everything: no more nerves, no more wondering what will happen.

Nathan

Your Significant Original Contribution

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It’s right to reflect on the significant original contribution that your research makes to your field as part of your viva preparation. It helps to consider how you can share that. If your examiners asked you to dig deeper, what would you say? What would you focus on?

Making notes, writing summaries and talking can all help to make that easier in the viva.

While it’s right to focus on the contribution in your research and thesis, it’s also important to invest time reflecting on yourself: what is the significant and original contribution you have made to your own development while working for your PhD?

What have you learned? What do you know now? What can you do now that you couldn’t before?

You need a good thesis to pass your viva. You also need to be sure that you are a good candidate. Reflect on the contributions you have made to both over the course of your PhD.

Nathan

Apologise Or Acknowledge?

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Your thesis isn’t perfect. It’s almost certain you have typos or passages to correct. There are likely other approaches you could take in your methods. Your recollection or knowledge might have gaps. And you can’t have done every possible thing even with years to complete your PhD.

So should you apologise to your examiners?

Or simply acknowledge?

  • Yes, there’s a typo and I can correct that.
  • No I didn’t do that and here’s why…
  • I’m not sure about what would happen, but perhaps…
  • Can you tell me more so I can understand…

I don’t know if there are no circumstances where it might be good to apologise to your examiners, but I think for the most part acknowledging and discussing the point is a better course of action.

Nathan

Surprising Questions From Candidates

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I’m enjoying a nice summer break, but while I do I am missing sharing viva help in webinars. Before 2020 I’d already delivered viva sessions and workshops for a decade.

With all of that combined experience – as you might imagine – I’ve been asked a LOT of questions about the viva. From the hyper-specific to the incredibly-vague and the super-practical to the ultra-hypothetical, thirteen years later I’m still asked questions that I’ve never been asked before.

And I’ve been asked more than a few questions that really surprise me. For example:

  • Can I have a break if the viva is long? Yes, in fact you can always have a break!
  • Can I take my thesis with me to check details? Yes, you’re expected to have it with you!
  • Will I know who my examiners are before my viva? Yes, this is arranged well before the date!
  • Will my examiners fail me if I forget something or don’t know something? No!
  • How mean will my examiners be? They won’t be, that’s not what they’re there to do!

Sometimes, when I’m asked a question, the person apologises, “Sorry, this might be a stupid question-” and I always cut them off. There are no stupid questions when you’re looking for information or trying to learn more, particularly at a webinar about the PhD viva.

There are no stupid questions, but there are questions that are surprising to me.

I’m surprised that some of what people don’t know about the viva isn’t just shared by supervisors. I’m surprised it’s not passed on through peer groups. I’m surprised that candidates don’t know that they can have a break, for example, or that examiners aren’t trying to be mean.

But they’re not stupid questions. I’m always glad to make a space that could help.

I would encourage you, to help your communities and culture, do pass on what your viva was like. Share to help build up the general sense of what to expect.

Nathan

Break It Up

Daily Post

There’s a lot to do in the viva. There’s a lot to do to prepare for the viva, or at least a lot of tasks and thoughts to manage. You might feel a lot about what’s going to happen and have plenty of distractions or concerns to contend with.

If you try to solve the whole of your prep, all of your worries or how you feel about the discussion as it starts, you’re going to dump a huge pile of problems in your path.

Instead, break things up, whatever stage you’re at.

Viva prep is a series of tasks and activities, not one great monster undertaking. There’s work to do but you can do it one piece at a time.

Viva worries can feel persistent, but you can tackle each concern one-by-one. Get help, ask for support and when you have an answer to your problem set it out clearly for yourself that you’ve got past that.

As you get to the viva, remember that while it’s a discussion you only have to respond to one question or comment at a time. You can pause, think and respond. You don’t have to have an answer for everything.

As with everything else, you can take your time to do what you need to do.

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