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Tag: viva location

Nathan

Talking In A Furnace

Daily Post

I read my thesis. Made notes. Talked with my supervisor. Read papers. Got ready.

And never once thought about the actual space I would have my viva in.

My viva was in early June 2008, first thing in the morning in a top floor seminar room that got full sun from dawn through to the early afternoon.

During the first heatwave of the year.

It was hot when we began. It got hotter as we went on. And my viva, with a short break, ended up being four hours. It was an exhausting situation by the end. The room was incredibly stifling and uncomfortable. We made it through, I passed – and thankfully didn’t pass out due to the heat!

 

All of which is presented as a dramatic encouragement to check your viva space out in advance and think about your comfort for the day.

Most in-person vivas take place in fairly anonymous seminar rooms at your university but you’ll always know the date, time and location in advance. You can check out the space, think about your needs and the situation for your viva.

Then act accordingly – because if it’s going to be a hot day you’re going to need to take that into account!

Nathan

Where & When

Daily Post

The viva isn’t a huge surprise. Thankfully you don’t turn around one day and-

-tell us about your contribution to knowledge!

Online or on-campus, tomorrow or six months from now, you’ll know where and when your viva will take place. You’ll know for weeks beforehand.

Knowing where and when helps your preparation: of course, read your thesis, think about your work, rehearse – and think about what you will do to arrive at that place and time, on that day, in the best state possible.

If you’re at home, what will you do beforehand? How will you arrange your viva space? How can you make it great for you?

If you’re in your department, how will you get there? What do you need to check about the room in advance? What do you need for it to be good?

At some point you’ll know where and when. Then you can start a small but useful part of the preparations for your viva.