Hi guys,
Firstly, thank you so much for all the good luck messages yesterday, and for all your support over the last year I've been on the forum! It's amazing to know there are others going through the same thing, and it's been a huge help to me!!
Now, about my viva yesterday. Well, I passed :-)
I have some very minor amendments to do, which they've given me a month to complete. However, I will get them done within 2 hours (if that) today so I'm pretty pleased with the outcome!
The viva itself wasn't half as scary or terrifying as I'd expected. I'd always imagined it as if I were in a dark interrogation room, with a spotlight shining down on me from above, and my examiners being shadows in the corner throwing bullets (well questions) at me. It wasn't like that at all. Once I got in the room, my sicky, "I'm going to cry" feeling disappeared.
My first question was about why I embarked on the research, and after that we went through my thesis section by section, but spent a lot of time discussing theory and methodology. My results seemed to surprise my externals (I had 2 - don't ask!), but in a really good way, and rather than question me on them, we just discussed their impact and how we could use them for the greater good, I suppose. I actually enjoyed the experience, although I was challenged.
In all, the viva lasted and hour and 15 minutes, and the examiners deliberated for about 15mins before giving me the verdict.
Right... on with those amendments!! :p