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Tag: your examiners

Nathan

Questions About Examiners

Daily Post

If you have questions about your viva examiners there are lots of places to find answers.

  • Consult regulations to get a real sense of what they do and how they do it.
  • Explore viva stories to get a feel for how examiners examine.
  • Ask your supervisors about your potential examiners…
  • …and ask them again when your examiners are confirmed.
  • Check your examiners’ recent publications to find out more about what they do.
  • Find their staff pages to explore their interests.
  • Talk with friends and colleagues who might know about them.

Whatever your questions about your examiners there will be a way to find out more. If you’re worried for some reason there is always a way to do something to help move past your concern.

Nathan

Burst Your Bubble

Daily Post

You’re in a bubble.

How could you not be? You’ve read lots of papers and done lots of relevant work and now you’ve written a book! You’re in a bubble, thinking what you think and knowing what you know and life is fine.

Now here come your examiners. They want to talk to you. They need to talk to you. They’ve been reading what you wrote and they have questions. They have comments. They have opinions and until you speak to them you won’t know what they want to discuss.

You can make some educated guesses, but those will be from inside your bubble. They’ll be based on what you did, what you know and what you wrote. Good guesses, but limited.

Unless…

Unless you burst your bubble by reading your examiners’ recent publications. You can take a little time before your viva to get a sense of who they are, what they do and what they think. You can find out a little more information, become more well-informed and see if there’s anything else you need to know to be prepared for your viva.

Being in your bubble has served you well, but you need more to be ready for your examiners.

Nathan

Your Examiners

Daily Post

Who are these people? What do they know? What do they want? What have they done? Why are they here?

And what can they do in your viva?

Spend a little time, answer these questions, honestly, and you’ll find a way to engage with them in your viva.