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Tag: viva prep

Nathan

Focus On The Good Stuff

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There are tricky things to explain in your viva. There will be times when you struggled. There are probably questions still to answer and problems to solve. But you don’t have to exclusively reflect on all of that during your preparation.

  • What is your strongest contribution in your thesis?
  • What were your most rewarding times working on your research?
  • What do you think is the most valuable aspect of your work?
  • Where have you seen yourself grow the most in your own personal development?

Make time before your viva to focus on the good stuff.

Nathan

The Final Checks

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It helps to check a few final things before your viva.

Do you have your thesis?

Do you have a notebook and pen?

Do you have something to drink?

Do you have a few weeks of prep in your recent history?

Do you have everything else you need for the venue for your viva, whether that’s a seminar room or your home?

Do you have years of effort, experience and success bound up in your PhD journey?

If you can answer yes to all of these then you’re in good shape for meeting your examiners!

Nathan

Down Time

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You can afford a little break at submission. In most instances, even if a candidate has an idea of their viva date, it won’t be confirmed at the time they submit their thesis.

When you submit you have time. Plenty of time to get ready, but also plenty of time to relax. Rest. Take time away from the work you’ve been doing to get your research finished and your thesis ready.

Pause, for your own sake. You have to look after yourself so that you can get ready.

A little down time will help in the final days and weeks leading to your viva.

Nathan

Staring At The Clock

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I was in full flow in my viva. The questions were challenging but fair. I was working hard to explain and explore my work, but that was, I suppose, to be expected.

Then I happened to notice the time. The clock on the wall informing me that we had been discussing things now for almost two-and-a-half hours.

I didn’t know if this was good or bad. I had no real expectations or understanding of what happened at a viva. But two-and-a-half hours seemed like a long time. I was surprised that was how long it had been so far.

I started to wonder how much longer it might be.

It seemed like a good idea to look up every now and then to “keep an eye on the time”. This quickly became a distraction, the first two-and-a-half hours of my viva had seemed to pass in no time at all. Now it felt as if time had slowed to a crawl…

 

Staring at the clock didn’t help.

Staring at the clock never helps.

Staring at the clock does nothing but distract.

For the most part the venue for your viva doesn’t make a great difference on your experience. It’s a seminar room or it’s over Zoom, that’s all. However, in either situation, do what you can to avoid staring at the clock.

If you have a video viva, place a little Post-it Note in the corner of your screen to obscure the clock once you get started. If you’re in-person for your viva, arrange to sit with your back to the clock in the meeting room.

Knowing the time does nothing to help you. You will only wonder when you’ll be finished, or whether you’re progressing well. It’s far better to reserve all your focus for simply engaging with the discussion in your viva.

Nathan

Two Reflections

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Today: two series of questions that could help as one gets ready for the viva.

First a reflection on your research:

  • Why is your research contribution valuable?
  • How did you do your research?
  • What was the result?

Second, a reflection on you, the researcher:

  • When did you make the greatest progress on your research journey?
  • Where have you found the most help and support?
  • Who are you now that you are coming to the end of your PhD?

Long-time readers of the blog might recognise the “Six Honest Serving Men” of Rudyard Kipling: proto-questions that I think help find good questions for reflection.

Getting ready for the viva involves preparation related to your research and yourself. This could involve talking, making notes and so on – but a little quiet reflection can also be really useful. Invest some time in thinking about what you did and who you are now.

Nathan

Big Challenge, Small Step

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What’s the biggest challenge standing between you and feeling ready for your viva?

What’s the smallest meaningful step you could take to overcoming that challenge?

If you feel there’s a problem stopping you from being prepared it helps to name it, however big it might be. It also helps to realise that most big problems aren’t solved by a single big action: it takes a lot of little steps. Sometimes it helps just to do something – anything – to start the process.

Nathan

Achievable

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Viva preparation doesn’t make you viva-perfect.

Perfection is unattainable.

Viva prep makes you viva-prepared.

Prepared is achievable.

Do the work, just as you always have, and you will be ready.

Nathan

Even If

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Even if you think you know it all, read your thesis before your viva.

Even if you’re sure there’s no way you’ll forget any of your corrections, take a notebook to the viva.

Even if you’re sure your examiners won’t ask about this or that, be sure you take a look at this and that before your viva.

Even if you don’t want to rehearse with your supervisor, find some useful way to practise responding to questions before the viva.

Even if you’re nervous, go to your viva and succeed.

Nathan

Too Early!

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It is way too early for Halloween decorations. Some of my neighbours have had skeletons hanging in their windows and plastic pumpkins in their yard since the weekend! It’s very strange to me.

Before thesis submission is way too early to think about viva preparation. I can understand why some candidates think it takes a lot of work. If it takes years to produce a thesis then surely it must take a lot of effort to get ready for the viva?

Before submission is too early to think about all of that.

First, your focus before submission must be on finishing your thesis. Second, the work you do to complete your thesis is also work that aligns with what you need for your viva. Finally, the work you need to do specifically for the viva – for that particular challenge – is not the work of months. A small amount of work, relatively speaking, that can be completed in a matter of weeks.

Planning ahead will help. Exploring how reading your thesis, making notes and rehearsing will fit with your busy schedule will help you to see how you can get it done. You don’t need to start getting ready before submission – it’s too early! – but remember that a lot of what you naturally do for your PhD helps you anyway.

Now, with all of that said, it’s not too early for me to go and have a conversation with my neighbours…

Nathan

Marking References

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Your final thesis can be annotated in preparation for your viva. While you might naturally be drawn to underlining typos or adding a few helpful words to the margins, paying attention to the references you cite can be a simple way to improve your thesis’ usefulness as a resource in the viva.

You could highlight different kinds of reference – information, methodology support, question and so on – in different ink colours to draw distinctions between them. You could find the ten most important ones and add highlighter tabs or bookmarks to draw attention to where you use them. You could write a sentence or two at the top of the page to catch your eye.

You had to pay a lot of attention to the work of other researchers to help your research grow. You had to invest a lot if time in being certain that you understood their work and how to apply it to yours. Now, as you prepare for your viva, take a little more time to consider which of these references has been most helpful to you – and find a good way to mark this out in your thesis.

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