You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need."
Jerry Gillies
http://www.motivateus.com/rememb.htm

If worry and being miserable would help out with the Phd experience, then I would say embrace it. But the truth is that its not going to help, and speaking only for myself, my own work is so much better when I am relaxed and happy. So, at the risk of sounding a bit Pollyanna-ish, I DO try to :-s:-s:-s make myself be happy. It can be done. ( even after having a carton of 15 eggs leap from its precarious home at Bleak Towers and rain yolks down my toes, when all I wanted was a cup of coffee....) Its as simple as finding something that makes you smile or laugh. We all have different things that will do this, find the thing that works for you, and do it. Arrrrrrrrr, it can be as simple as talking like a pirate! There, thats got a smile back on my face just like that!

I am not advocating from hiding from reality or being in denial ( or am I?) but the attitude you permit yourself to have can be key. I am cheerfully doing a bit of work on Saturday, having removed egg yolk from my toes, and treating myself to an extra cup of coffee....

http://www.inspirationandmotivation.com/


Act as if you have already achieved your goal and it is yours."
- Dr. Robert Anthony

"Optimism doesn't wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time."
Norman Cousins

"People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Abraham Lincoln

I did have the experience of someone rather bluntly challenging my choice of paradigm and methodology in a presentation--the question or rather statement was to the effect, " You do not talk about the work of X. You must not know what you are doing, if you missed this out."

Me, in response, " Well, thank you for bringing that up, the paradigm and methodology is an important part of my work. In fact, I do mention X when I talk about the choice I made, and why I chose the methods of Y and Z?. Are you familiar with them? Y and Z talk about X, and acknowledge that there is some dispute in the field, but my research aims are supported by the work of Y and Z, and I would echo what they say about the position of X as not suitable for my research aims."

The question had all the feel of someone trying to gun for me, but making specific references to articles and what others in the field said seemed to do the trick. I am not at all sure the questioner was familiar with Y and Z, and so just got quiet and that was the end of that.

part 2 of reposted reply, again apologies if it repeats......

Or something to that effect.

Cite names, articles, parts of your thesis. Just ground your reply, all your replies, in your work. Sound definite. Be definite. If major things like paradigm or method or whatever get challenged, acknowledge differences in the field, and support why YOUR choice was valid, even if the choices are contested. Especially if choices are contested, say that. Acknowledge it as a minefield. Smile confidently about YOUR choice.

MAKE EYE CONTACT with everyone in the room as you talk. When the questioner asks you questions, look at them and nod as they ask. Make some notes if you need to, or are allowed. Again, take a few seconds to organise the thoughts in your head. Then, as you answer, look up and at people. Eye contact shows confidence, again. But do not just address the person who asked the question, invite the whole lot of examiners into the answer, by turning to them, looking at them. Open your body language--no crossed arms or legs. Hands or arms out, again, inviting the examiners into the answer. ( without obviously being too theatrical about this, do what is comfortable for you).

Don't argue. Just state. Confidently. Disagree if need be, by acknowledging differences, thanking the examiner for noting such a key distinction, and then talk away. Smile. Nod. Equally note if some examiners are nodding as you talk--they are agreeing with you, they are with you. Keep going down that track.

I was taught customer service skills in one job, in how to deal with crabby phone callers, although I was not in customer service--something called, ( digging in the banks of memory) LAST. Listen, Ask, Solve, Thank. I think in a general way you could structure viva answers this way. Listen to the question. Ask if you need more clarity, if you are not sure what someone has asked, ask them to clarify. Solve--well, that is just pointing to YOUR answers in YOUR work, and at the end, sure, why not thank them for an invigorating question, saying that is a part of the thesis you found most enlightening or challenging or whatever.........and you welcome the chance to address it, as its not a point of wide interest to all in the field......or something.

I haven't done a viva, so no idea if these would work in reality, but thinking of a courtroom setting, and facing down somewhat hostile people, and needing to make a point, its what comes to mind. I am sure others have many other helpful thoughts, but hope this helps.

an attempted repost of my reply, apologies if its a repeat

Jouri,

OF COURSE you feel overwhelmed--this is the defining moment of all your years of hard work and effort. When reading about some of the horror stories on this board, of course it makes it even more overwhelming.

Have you been able to do mock vivas? If not, can you get one set up, or possibly more than one, where you can actually go through the experience of being challenged, and figuring out how to respond? To me a viva sounds like it has a lot in common with being in a court room as a lawyer, where you are presenting your case, your facts, your theory, your arguments, to a somewhat skeptical and at times hostile audience.

So what you do you? KNOW YOUR FACTS. KNOW YOUR ARGUMENTS. KNOW YOUR THESIS COLD--as much as this is possible, but KNOW the main points as best you can. Have good notes to turn to to guide you if needed.

If someone fires off a hostile question, take a moment. Take a deep breath. Compose yourself. Think about how you can answer, and then do this. Smile. Even if you really feel :-s:-s:-s, actually, especially if that is how you feel. A smile shows confidence. Say, " Thank you, you raise a point that is very interesting. I gave that a lot of consideration in my thesis, and let me walk you through how that was done. Starting in chapter one, I noted that blah blah, and then again made a reference to this in Chapter 2. I put particular detail on this in the footnote, as its not germane to my central argument, but it is worth noting.......and finally in my conclusion, I blah blah blah and note it for future research. So and so actually lies this out in their article, blah blah in the most recent journal of blah blah, and while I agree with their main argument, I think blah blah was left under developed, as my commentary shows."

Yes...where did my reply go??!

Anything I said that can be construed as anti-London was all meant tongue in check. That is the problem with electronic communication, and the meaning of words can get misconstrued easily. London is a great city. So much to offer, and a great venue for a meet up. But speaking only for myself, I would relish the opportunity to go to Sheffield, to see something or somewhere I might not ordinarily ever go, and it IS the home of the PGF team!

If there are two separate meet ups, I dont think that has to take away from either one, or the fact that there can be more in the future. Its not a one off event! or doesnt have to be! Some people logistically CANNOT get to London, so somewhere like Sheffield might mean being able to make a meet up versus not making one at all.

Even if just me and Sleepyhead meet up in Sheffield ( assuming the PGF Team will not bar their doors.....but they might.....:p:p), its just meant to be fun.

Its not a London v. Sheffield competition.

Sleepyhead since you have expressed a strong liklihood of going to Sheffiled, what works for you? I am thinking of about four weeks time.....best able to get trainfares in advance, plan schedules, etc. Any day of the week but Monday is generally fine with me.

But only if you assume if 100% of the 34% would go to London......and I would guess that a huge percentage of the 34% for whatever reason could not make the London venue in any event.......and might get left out of ANY meeting at all.....

Perhaps it makes sense to do a double-meet--London for those who can make it there, and Sheffield for those who can make it to there. The plans for a double meet would not have to come into conflict with each other, as its highly unlikely there is a large pool of people for whom London and Sheffield are equal choices, and one meeting would signficantly diminish the attendance at the other.

So, ( in grand American tradition :p ) hereby make Sheffield a write in runner up candidate, and will see what can be done about sorting dates and times and places.

PGF team--its your home town. Whats a good venue, good time of day, good day of the week?

Sheffield meeters--any preference on time of day or day of the week?

And good music as well, home of Kate Rusby!

Not London....who hasn't been to London???!!!! There is nothing particularly novel about going to London.

I still vote Sheffield. Its really the natural choice, being the home of the PGF. What good is a meet up without the forum administrators, without whom none of this would be possible??! Besides that, I think its worth the excuse to get out to a different part of the country and see another town. Yorkshire is a particularly beautiful part of England, and altogether different in feel and character than London. And it has better pubs, IMO, better pub food, friendlier pub inhabitants, better football teams, and a MUCH more pleasant regional accent than the regional accent of the Home Counties. Yorkshire is the absolute gem of England.

This might be the only reason some of us would have to get to Sheffield, so why squander it? Broaden your horizons! Spread your wings! Don't be London-ist!

I think that hating your PhD is just a normal part of the process..its a lot of work, its a lot of stress, it is a lot of at times very unpleasant things, and only a masochist would embrace those unpleasant parts. I think that is probably HEALTHY to hate your PhD from time to time, and its a sure sign you have retained "you" in the process of doing it. I hate mine from time to time, sometimes even in the space of the same day when I love it....its just part of it.

and I would say...being an international student means that the outside "distractions" are minimal--not that I think its right to think of family and friends as a distraction! But with family and good friends an ocean away, I don't have to balance those out in the way that people do as have them closer by. If I was home, it would be a very difficult balance to strike, as it would be important for me to have that time with them. Being a PhD student is isolating, and even moreso if you are not in your own home environment...and in my case, coming from a community that is pretty close-knit and where I have had the luxury of keeping close ties from childhood onward, you see people at the post office, the grocery store, etc, etc, to leave all of that has been a shock and a struggle. You do not replace those ties overnight, or at all, frankly, and having lived relatively cocooned by all that, being overseas has been at times a difficult adjustment. I suppose it teaches me better coping skills, and it also sure makes me have new appreciation for what I have at home.