You Are Here

Tag: viva preparation

Nathan

A Break Day

Daily Post

It’s not just a day off.

It’s an opportunity to tell yourself that you’re doing the right thing by having a day off.

It’s a time to tell yourself that you need to rest too.

It’s hopefully space to really get some rest and relaxation, in a period when there may have been fewer opportunities to do so.

Rest is an important part of life, never mind viva preparation – but if you are preparing, do take some time just to pause. Take breaks. Let your mind relax a little. Take some time to rest and help yourself be ready.

Take today, for a start.

Nathan

Hows & Whys

Daily Post

Your thesis didn’t just appear. You did the work. You made something good.

But how did you do it? And why did it need doing?

How did you find a way to get your results? And why were they good methods to use?

How can you be certain of your conclusions? Why do those conclusions matter?

Be sure you know the hows and whys of your research and thesis for your viva.

Nathan

Two Moves Ahead

Daily Post

I’ve been learning how to play chess over the last few months. I’m a total beginner. I knew how the pieces moved, have always been interested in the game but from a great distance. A video I saw by chance on YouTube has hooked me, and now I’m trying to get good enough that I can help my daughter when she starts learning in school next year.

As I’ve been learning recently, you have to analyse constantly in chess. Be thinking several moves ahead: if I play like this, what are the possible likely responses, and what could my responses be to those moves. It’s a curious thing: I’ve played lots of kinds of games over the last few decades, and played plenty of games where you have to think ahead, but never has it struck me in the way that chess has now. In doing so, it’s giving me a new way of seeing games (when you’re playing to win!).

Another thing that stands out to me is that this way of looking ahead in playing chess is completely the opposite of how I think about the viva and preparation for it. Thinking two moves ahead for the viva doesn’t work. You can’t game the viva by writing your thesis in a certain way, to avoid questions or lead examiners in a preferred direction. It’s not possible to think ahead and anticipate all of the questions you might be asked, then think about possible responses – and think abut the remarks or questions that might come from those responses.

Thinking two moves ahead won’t help you win your viva: instead you have to continue with the same long-term strategy. Do good work. Learn things. Become talented. Keep going. Then whatever move your examiners make, you’ll be able to respond well.

Nathan

Long-Term Learning, Short-Term Prep

Daily Post

I’ve seen relief on the face of PhD candidates when I tell them they don’t need to prepare for their viva until after submission. That in itself helps to frame the scale of the challenge. I also emphasise that viva prep is building on the talent and work that has been created over the course of the PhD.

Thinking about this, I’m reminded of the song “Scales and Arpeggios” from near the beginning of Disney’s The Aristocats: little kittens singing about the importance of practice over the long-term. You do the basics again and again and become proficient. You lay the groundwork for later success by working to get good. You do the work, you learn the skills because there is no other way to get the work done, no other way to achieve what you want.

As your viva gets closer, think about the basics you’ve mastered and the talent you’ve made on them: the skills you’ve created through research and learning. After submission, prep is a small bit of work, highlighting all the years of practice and what they’ve created.

And finally, do check out “Scales and Arpeggios” – it’s such a lovely song! Sure to lift preparation spirits! 🙂

Nathan

Emergency!!!

Daily Post

An examiner cancels with short notice.

Someone involved gets sick.

Technology fails on the day.

You can’t account for every possible viva emergency in advance or have insurance policies against every worst case scenario, but simple things can really help.

  • Find out who the go-to person is at your Graduate School for helping PhD candidates, and get their name and contact details written on a Post-it Note.
  • Check the regulations for the viva, and requirements for video vivas. Check the technology, have test runs with friends and explore other options.
  • If your viva is over video, find out who you can contact if you do have problems (in case there is no in-person line of communication at the time you have your viva).

A viva Emergency!!! has to be figured out, but some of the work and stress can be reduced with a little early thought. You can do nothing now and choose to panic if something bad happens, or invest a little time now to thwart any unexpected situations later.

(and often the little time and thought now usually helps with non-emergency aspects too!)

Nathan

Take Your Time

Daily Post

Take your time, if you can, to finish a good thesis. Make it the best presentation of your research, to convince your examiners of the significance of your work and your talent as a researcher.

Take your time, unless your time is very limited, when you need to prepare for the viva. Spread out the work. Sketch out a plan for what that period might be like. Think about how you can break up the things you need to do so you’re not overwhelmed.

Take your time, and there’s plenty of it, to pause and think and respond well in the viva. You’re under no rush. You might feel a pressure to do well, but that shouldn’t come from a need to go quickly.

Your PhD is worth doing well, so take your time.

Nathan

The Unhelpful Truth

Daily Post

You’ll be fine

True because vivas go well in the overwhelming majority of cases. Unhelpful because it says nothing of why this happens.

Friends, family, colleagues and supervisors may try to reassure you with the unhelpful truth. And it’s well meant, because they care, they want you to do well and they also believe you will be fine.

To take the kernel of truth – that the viva will go well – and make it helpful, you might have to do a little work.

Ask specific questions about viva expectations. Ask your supervisors to tell you about what examiners actually do. Ask others to support your preparation practically. Remind yourself that you must be talented to have got this far: it can’t simply be luck that has carried you to completion.

You will be fine – for lots of reasons. Find them.

Nathan

Thoughts on Viva Prep

Daily Post

A loose collection of thoughts on getting ready for your viva…

If you’ve not submitted your thesis then you don’t need to start getting ready for your viva.

You need time to read your thesis, annotate it, check any relevant papers, make any useful summaries and rehearse.

A useful range for time needed to do viva prep well is 20 to 30 hours, depending on size of thesis, free time, confidence and so on.

Everyone is different:

  • How long do you think that will take for you?
  • How busy are you generally?
  • Then how long before your viva do you need to start preparing so you don’t rush and stress yourself?

Sketch a plan around submission time for how you might do the work. Probably only start the work once you know your viva date. Don’t overcomplicate things. Don’t tie yourself up in knots. If you have a problem, get help. If you need support, don’t be afraid to ask.

Viva prep is work that continues the development that has lead you this far, not something wholly new. You already know and can do the overwhelming majority of what you need to do for your viva when you submit.

Maybe viva prep is not so much getting ready as proving to yourself that you are ready.

Nathan

A Simple Start

Daily Post

No candidate needs to have an opening statement prepared for their viva – with the obvious exception being people specifically asked to prepare a presentation! But if you want something in mind to help you feel confident, take time to reflect and practise with the following three questions:

  • Why did you do your PhD?
  • How did you do your research?
  • What have you got in your thesis?

You don’t need a monologue. You don’t need a script. Together, these three questions can provide a helpful reflection to help your confidence grow, and give a simple start to your viva.

You won’t know for certain what question you’ll be asked first, or where the discussion will begin, but between them, these three questions will plant a lot of seeds for how you might respond.

Nathan

Unavoidable

Daily Post

The viva is unavoidable for a PhD candidate in the UK, but despite rumours and misgivings, a truly negative outcome is far from unavoidable. You can find out what to expect, both the regulations and experiences of friends; you can take time to prepare, to know your work well and reflect on the talent that’s made it.

There’s always a place for doubt about the outcome with something important, a space for nervousness to creep in, but that doesn’t mean some terrible result for your viva. Learn more about what vivas are like and you can give perspective to your concerns.

You can avoid being unprepared for your viva – and once you move past extreme possibilities brought on by worry, you’ll hopefully see that the only unavoidable event in your near future is viva success.

1 … 18 19 20 21 22 … 35