Hello!

What a great idea!

Yes, I would be delighted to exchange ideas and support each other.

I was reading something last night that talked about the PhD--was a study of the vivas, will see if I can find the article again and post the title and journal ref, anyway, it remarked on the skills to get through the viva and the different variables effecting outcome ( other than thesis quality) and left the impression it was all a very random process. One skill it highlighted was the ability to think off the top of your head/on your feet/whatever saying you like to apply--to speak spontaneously to unexpected questions and how you perform verbally under pressure. The thought being that examiners equate that verbal skill with intellect, ie, your thesis quality rises in their eyes if you can do this... reading that made me feel less inclined than ever to pull the thesis down and open it. :P

I also have found some general viva prep questions on line--things that were fairly generic. I had a read through and sort of answered them to myself and made some notes, but did not find that especially helpful, TBH, as they are the sort of things I can answer off the top of my head on the day, answer varying based on the mood I am in...

I have a mock viva next week. So will let you know how that goes!

What am I doing to prepare? Precious little at this point. I just don't know what to do, or think that certain prep would just be a waste of time. I do not intend to memorise the thesis, I will have it with me during the mock and the real viva, I know darn well where my arguments are within the thesis...weaknesses...hmmm...really tend to see those as things that need further research that exceeded scope of the thesis, or more overarching paradigmatical problems within my own field, which are too huge for my thesis to solve. :p Hmmmm, this is not a great attitude to have before the viva...I thnk it reflects a lot of burnout and resentment over the entire process of the PhD ...

Best, Olivia

I am self funding. I started my PhD distance learning overseas, and then when I transferred to on campus study, I was part way through and not eligible for uni funding unless I started at zero again, which I was hardly likely to do. I guess as well, me being non British, and coming from a country where self-funding is very much the norm, I just do not "feel" the bite that people intend when they make self-funding comments. I usually counter with how fortunate I am my own government had made student loan funding so widely available even for post grads to go over seas, and what broad horizons that gives me/gave me in my choice of study, and act a bit pitying that their choices are so limited...:P That tends to shut people up about the whole thing.

The most talented and highest achieving people I know, be it in academia or elsewhere, tend to be humble, helpful, gentle folk, not limelight seekers. In part perhaps they can be humble, helpful and gentle because they have nothing left to prove, to themselves or others. On the other hand, perhaps opportunities came their way because of their non limelightseeking personalities. and those opportunities could have boosted them. Face it, networking and etc has a lot to do with what doors open, and people who alienate themselves from others with bad attitudes might find it harder to get those doors open.

Or you could always address anyone who has the cheek to want to discuss money with a long stare down your nose, and say, "I never discuss money. I find it very crass." :P

literally--Laundry!!!! and about time!!!
and drinking my second cup of coffee
and trying to decide if I want to walk to the supermarket when my laundry is done...

Most university regulations ought to have some sort of timeline within which the viva should be held following submission. Given the stats on viva outcomes, where the vast majority are a pass with minor or major corrections, you might want to factor that into your timescales...you could have a viva in May, and then be given six months to do major corrections....my own personal suggestion would be just to focus on the quality of your thesis and submit when you and your supervisor agree its ready, not just targetting the graduation ceremony...most universities have a winter ceremony as well. You want to make sure you get to graduate, be it summer or winter. But as to timescales, check your university regs, those likely have information on when the viva is to be held after thesis submission, and timescales for corrections.

Oh, a supervisor can never be a friend, IMO. And you would not want them to be. Not in the same way that you have your other friends. Your supervisor is there to be objective and provide guidance for you on your writing. A friend is far more personally involved in a way that their advise is not so objective. A good supervisor relationship requires distance and boundaries, IMO. Its not so different than the issues that people have on the job about whether or not they can be friends with their work supervisor. Again, my answer would be the same. That is not to say in either case that relationships cannot be collegial--indeed they can, and should be, and learning to cultivate those is an important part of networking anywhere that you may find yourself--academia, or other work.

Your PhD is the central part of your life, perhaps, while to your supervisor its one of many things that they have to do. Your supervisor occupies more of your thoughts than you do of theirs, most likely. Which again is as it should be. Trying to determine how your written work is going from the demeanour of your supervisor is unfair on you--your supervisor should provide enough clear written comment and verbal discussion directed to that point that you are not left feeling as if you have to play guessing games.

In my past life, I had a job supervising a small office. One day I came to work a bit tired and distracted from personal/family issues and a big pile of work deadlines. So, to focus my own work, I shut my office door. ( something I did rarely) This caused the person working next to me ( that I supervised) to think I was mad at him and that his work was bad. He had just started the job and was on probation. He worried all day, until he finally knocked on my door and wanted to know what he had done wrong!!!! I was o.0. that he had felt like that, so we had a discussion on things--that if I had a problem with his work I would bring it directly to his attention, and not leave him to guess signals like shut doors--and a shut door was just that--nothing to do with a message I wanted my employees to get!!! Same with your PhD supervisor--unlikely he/she is trying to broadcast nonverbal signals to you with the hopes you get a message on your work. Yet its easy to try to read the supervisor's demeanour for clues--and probably ( but only guessing) most likely if you are not getting adequate feedback in other forms. So its left you guessing, and you try to glean the information however you can.

I prefer a business like and distant but collegial relationship with my supervisor, a fairly set agenda when we meet, and follow up notes to confirm the discussions and plans ( even if its me sending the confirming email). It keeps the lines of communication clear, and it also provides a record of what was discussed, if you or the supervisor need clarification on that down the line.

Don't leave up to the supervisor to set the boundaries of the relationship. Establish your own. If you want a business like but collegial relationship, set the tone for that. Don't share more than superficial personal stories. Certainly don't ask for guidance on personal issues, such as boyfriend/girlfriend, wife, husband, kids, whatever. Confirm your discussions with a short but polite email. Bring your own short agenda to the meetings you have with the points you want to cover. If you are not getting sufficient feedback in writing and verbally in meetings, bring that up as a point to discuss--improving communication as the goal.

Hope that helps!

Yes, I agree, best to plan ahead and not leave it late. As it was, with one thing and another, mine still took a few more weeks to polish off than I planned, and THEN I had the printing nightmare. Good luck with it all!

I had moments of sitting at my desk, thinking, why am I doing this to myself? I should just hurl the thesis ( or the printer) from the window and be done with it all....

Whether in fact it was worth it all or not is something I cannot honestly say at this point in time...probably, I will think so on the other end. But I don't know. I am also rather adamant that should all go well and I end up with the title of Doctor, that I am not using it. It will simply remind me of the trauma I went through, and am not much of one for titles anyway...people say thats mad, but they have no real understanding of the trauma of this thing....and my utter aversion to the entire notion of my PhD at the moment. Perhaps this will pass. No one seems to talk about thesis aversion in these viva survival guides.

I had to cut about 30,000 words from my thesis. I just wrote the entire thing, knowing I was going over the limit. I planned to cut down at the very end, and so wasn't bothered a whole lot about the overall word count as I went--trying to stick close to what I was supposed to do, but not stressing when it started to go over. Its easier to cut than to write, I think. Well at least for me. I binned some of my favourite arguments, but they had to go, as they were not adding to the main line of thinking. I ended up with a much more streamlined argument and clear focus. So if you write another 30,000 words ( 15k per chapter) you will be just exactly where I was. A day at the keyboard with the delete key whacked it all down, no problems. Just write. Worry about cutting once its all written, then its more obvious what needs to go. At least that was my experience. Good luck!

I am still a proponent of Flowers paradigm. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Using+the+Flowers+paradigm+to+write+more+efficiently.-a019410805

It sets out four stages of writing. You are not yet at the final editing stage ( the Judge) and having this kind of structure helped me make sense of where I was, and also explain to my sometimes flabbergasted supervisor. It gives you a plan and a set of phases to go through, and literally a way to "shut off" the Judge ( the perfectionist) who does get to play his/her role, but only later, when needed.

All I can say is plan in advance for printing and binding, and have a plan B and C for backup. Especially if you are pushing against the final days of your deadline. What can go wrong will go wrong, sometimes...:p I have heard of that book and will take a look...I also have been to a live through your viva seminar at my university, but the information seems so sort of generic that I am not sure what in fact I should do. I mean I REAAALLLLYYY do not want to see this thesis again. For instance if I am asked in the viva if I plan to publish, my honest answer would be that I would prefer to put the thesis on a bonfire.

My viva is soon as well. What are you doing to prepare for it? I probably should be stressing about various things in life, but honestly just cannot work myself up to be stressed again...rather am in some kind of shock of relief of simply having submitted. Jokingly I said I was going to become illiterate and forget how to read and write once I turned in my thesis. It still seems like a good plan on some days...

Hi Chris, thanks, and good luck to you as well with submission. =)

Hi Stressed and Bilbo! Thanks for the kind words! And good look to you Bilbo in getting your thesis done. I think the ending parts--the non writing, non academic parts, were the worst. My printer overheated after 50 pages at a stretch, so after struggling with it for hours one night, to just get one copy out, ( needing four) I decided to just take the one copy to get copied professionally. So when I went to pick it up, found they had done a very botched job, pages missing, pages copied crooked ( obviously a machine jam, etc) so went back to complain only to have them get stroppy...at this point traumatised and beaten down, I said, just do it right, I will pay again. So I did. At least the copies came back right this time. Then I had further adventures in locating a binder to do the glue binding for the viva copies of the thesis. In the midst of this I came down with a hideous virus that now after nearly 6 weeks is only just starting to go...I never thought the very end part would be the most hideous.....but it was. I was so elated to simply turn it in and not have to deal with it anymore.

*wonders if it possible to do a viva without ever looking at the thesis in the interim*

I mean, how do you prepare for the viva....beyond the basics? its not like I can memorise the entire thesis, and its impossible to really anticipate the specific questions the examiners might have,outside of the obvious ones. I know my thesis and its arguments, my sources, etc, are burned into my brain like a permanent image. Not sure if the trauma of touching the thesis is outweighed by any benefit to be gained by looking at in preparation for the viva. Seriously!!!

Anyone have any viva prep tips that might convince me to actually look at it ahead of the viva?

updated to add--looked at table of contents. Felt blood pressure rise. Thesis returned to top shelf out of sight.

Well goodness I cannot even remember the last time I was on the forum! Or why it got to be so long since I was here....and wanted to come back and say hello to folks! A brief update on me, thesis submitted and now awaiting viva. Can now touch thesis without a totally adverse and traumatic reaction, now it remains to be seen if I can open it without a complete adverse reaction and throwing it back onto the highest shelf in the office out of sight. Am I nervous about the viva? Probably somewhere in my deep subconcious--but I have blocked the very idea of it from my concious mind. Just revelling in the freedom of not having this massive thing hanging like a permanent cloud of gloom over me ( the thesis that is). So glad to just have submitted...! at last! 8-)

sheesh, its in the air! I read a few of the thread titles, and its all about quitting! Its the post Easter break blahs, when you have had a chance to relax? Its the having to be inside during warm sunny spells? But don't quit. I know that PhDs all have their ups and downs...but its worth hanging in and trying...

Which is not to say that circumstances do not eventually mean that leaving is the right thing to do and no shame in that, but I think its just part of the whole insanity of this that there are times you want to quit. The healthy reaction to a strange situation to be in, as my own supervisor says, a PhD is a very "unnatural" thing to ask your brain and body to do!! So who doesn't want to flee from time to time!!!

And there are good days and bad days, right now I am web surfing looking at demotivational posters! Because I don't want to work on whats in front of me like ten trillion things to do...so I am trying to further demovitate myself I guess?:$:$

Hang in everyone!

Surprised I still have the third highest posting total!!!!!oO