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Tag: viva prep

Nathan

Common Ground

Daily Post

A small part of viva prep is making sure that you know who your examiners are and what they do.

This does not mean that you need to become an expert in everything they do. As part of viva prep, unless you really know a lot about their work already, take time to read their most recent papers. Look for recurring ideas, themes, questions and methods. Look at their staff pages for their research interests.

Try to explore the common ground that your research shares. Look for the connections between what you do and how you do what you do. If you need to, take a little time to understand any differences between your research.

Again: a small part of viva prep is knowing who your examiners are and what they do. It helps, but make sure you spend your time well.

Nathan

Time To Stop

Daily Post

Possible answers to a candidate’s question of “When should I stop getting ready for my viva?”

  • When you’ve ticked off everything on your viva prep to-do list.
  • When you’ve found answers to every question that’s been bothering you about the viva.
  • Ten or fifteen minutes before the start of the viva.
  • When you feel ready.
  • When your supervisor says you’re ready.
  • Will you ever be ready for your viva?

One of the above might satisfy a candidate. It might be that one of the above satisfies you!

But we need to go a little deeper. First of all, there’s no should when trying to figure out viva prep and getting ready. Knowing when to stop is probably helped by knowing what you need to know and what you need to do. Knowing when to stop is helped by not overloading your schedule with too much to do in too little time.

And maybe you’re simply ready when it’s time to stop.

 

PS: I’ll be sharing a lot more about viva prep and getting ready at Viva Survivor, my live webinar on Thursday 5th December 2024 – one week today! For full details on the session and to register to attend take a look at the link. Thanks for reading.

Nathan

The Shift

Daily Post

Viva prep involves shifting the kind of work you were doing to submit your thesis to the kind of work that will help you be ready for your viva.

Viva prep operates at a different scale. Perhaps a few dozen hours are needed in total compared to the weeks and weeks of effort to get your thesis finished for submission. Viva prep requires focus on a few helpful activities while submission preparations need overall awareness that everything is done and nothing is missed. Viva prep benefits from a break to rest but submission can feel like there is no time to pause.

Submission is a challenge. The viva is a challenge. Both come in quick succession, relatively speaking, but both come after years of experience of someone rising to meet a challenge. If you work through to submission you can shift your attention and work through viva prep.

And then succeed one more time in the viva.

Nathan

Fresh Thinking

Daily Post

There’s a lot of fresh thinking in and around the viva.

Your thesis has to contain a significant and original contribution; there must be something new and fresh in it.

To get ready for the viva you have to look again at what you’ve done and try to explore it in different ways to be ready for your examiners.

Then your examiners will likely have fresh questions at the viva. You will have a lot of experience of talking about your work but it’s probable you’ll face a question or idea you’ve never considered before.

There’s a lot of fresh thinking in and around the viva – but thankfully you have a lot of knowledge, understanding and experience.

 

PS: your significant original contribution is a big discussion point for the viva – find out what else to expect at Viva Survivor, my live webinar on Thursday 5th December 2024!

Nathan

Save The Best For Last?

Daily Post

It’s not needed for your viva.

The knowledge, understanding, skillset and determination that you apply to get to thesis submission is all you need in your viva. A little prep for the particular challenge of talking to your examiners will help, that’s all.

You’ve already displayed your best and been through the worst by the time you get to your viva.

Nathan

Oops!

Daily Post

Anyone can make a mistake.

If you find one before your viva, in your research or your thesis then – after taking a deep breath and not panicking – reflect on the following three questions:

  • Why is this a mistake?
  • How did it happen?
  • What can you do about it now?

Reflect on these questions and make some notes. If you think you need to then discuss the situation with your supervisor. That will probably be enough to help you feel ready for talking about it in your viva if you need to.

And if a mistake is brought to your attention in the viva (or if you make one in the viva) then the three questions above will still be helpful.

Deep breath, don’t panic, think and respond.

Nathan

Personalise Your Prep

Daily Post

Make a plan that suits you.

Make a plan in a format that meets your needs.

Ask for specific help from the people best placed to help you.

Read your thesis in a time, place and way that helps you.

Annotate your thesis to make it useful for you.

Have a mock viva – or don’t!

Reflect on your journey.

Take steps to build your confidence.

 

Given that your research, your thesis and your circumstances are unique to you, it shouldn’t be any surprise that your viva prep has to be personal too.

There are a lot of generally good ideas about how to get ready. You have to decide what you will do with them.

 

PS: looking for more good ideas to adapt to your own viva prep needs? Check out Viva Survivor, my live webinar on Thursday 5th December 2024. If you need more ideas or just some general advice on what to expect then this might be for you 🙂

Nathan

Set Your Intention

Daily Post

You intend to pass your viva! So what will you do?

You intend to submit the best thesis you can! So what will you do?

You intend to respond as well as you can in the viva! So what will you do?

 

Intention helps. Actions follow intentions. You can set a goal and hope or you can decide what steps you will take. The latter is probably more effective!

If you intend to prepare well then perhaps make a plan for your viva prep. Leave room for the unexpected. Make good time for you to do it when you won’t be stressed or tired.

If you intend to engage well in the viva then rehearse. Have a mock viva. Talk with friends. Read your thesis. Do a lot of thinking.

 

If you intend to pass your viva then don’t just hope that it all goes well. Make it certain.

Nathan

Not The Reason

Daily Post

I’ve lost count of the number of PhD candidates who’ve told me that they’re worried about receiving critical questions.

Some are worried about particular criticisms. Some are worried about hypothetical questions. Some are worried about the questions that they haven’t anticipated.

All are being rational.

It’s not that they should worry, more that it’s not irrational to worry about critical viva questions. Given the amount of work involved in getting to the viva – and given the outcome that a candidate would be hoping for – it’s understandable to worry.

As ever, in situations where someone worries it helps to ask why.

  • If you’re worried about a particular criticism, why? What’s the reason?
  • If you’re worried about a particular hypothetical question, why? If you’ve thought about it, can’t you do something to think about how you might respond?
  • If you’re worried about the undefined mass of questions you’ve never considered, why? Is there nothing you can do to change how you feel?

I have a three-word aphorism that I always try to keep in mind (both for myself and others): work past worry. Worry is human, but action will always take you closer to resolving the situation than worrying alone.

If you worry, do something.

If you worry there’s a reason for that worry. If you do something you can work towards the concern being satisfied in some way.

Remember as well that whatever question your examiners ask, there is always a reason motivating them. If you’re not sure how to respond then try to consider the reason for their question in the first place.

Nathan

Suggestions, Not Solutions

Daily Post

If someone says do X to help with your viva problem Y…

  • …you shouldn’t do X if you’re not confident it’s a good idea.
  • …you shouldn’t do X if you don’t think it will meet your needs.
  • …you shouldn’t do X if your problem was Z rather than Y!
  • …you shouldn’t do nothing either if X seems like it won’t meet your needs.

Advice isn’t an order. Advice is an option. Assuming that anyone you look to for help is offering it with good intentions, ideas are still suggestions: they are not definite solutions to a problem.

Getting ready for the viva can be a stressful time for many reasons. Don’t let suggestions that aren’t suitable add to that.

If you can, be precise when making requests for help; if you receive suggestions that aren’t solutions to your situation then you have to decide on the next step.

Do you adapt the advice? Do you continue exploring options with the person who made the suggestion? Or do you look elsewhere?

 

PS: I’ll be offering a lot of helpful suggestions at Viva Survivor, my live webinar on Thursday 5th December 2024. I’ve delivered it for university groups for over a decade – to more than 7000 PhD candidates – and this is my first independent webinar. Do take a look and see if it might be a help – just a suggestion of course! 🙂

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