So far so good... am enjoying reading my externals work. it's like he's writing my thesis just on a slightly different variation of the subject but our arguments are the same. WOW. i wonder why i didn't come across his work before now! i suppose that is because he hasn't published in conventional journals.

i wonder why - if our interests are so similar - why he would want to waste a precious 2 or more hours on theory instead of having that rare discussion on similarities between work, new developments and testing arguments that we've both come across as 'academics'?

am actually looking forward to meeting my external. lol.

taking a short break before coming back to it. i can't stop reading his paper since i picked it up!

Tip: read your examiners work, it might actually put you at ease. Worst case scenario, it will prepare you to defend your differences!

:-)

Hey JoJo, i've not yet received a date... I submitted on the 15th of December so i'm hoping it won't be until February.. As i have so much to prepare and i don't know where to start really. :-(
Reading your thread has been really really helpful and encouraging.

Hi Pink.. congratulations on submitting. you still have lots of time. take a week off and enjoy yourself! don't worry too much about the viva! its toooooooooooooo early to do that. though i know its easier said than done.

try to relax... whilst you still can. taking a few weeks off really helped me. :-)

am glad you're finding my thread useful.

heheh I hear you about heels, Jojo! I trip over level ground in flat shoes, so heels are a bit of a risk for me as well!

As for what you wear--I think the key things are number one--you are going to be comfortable in it for the hour or two of the viva. The last thing you need is to be driven to distraction by a label that pokes you in the neck, or fabric that itches, or a neckline you hate.

I think secondly, you want to look pulled together and "smart"--but really that can be so many different looks and outfits, and I think what you have planned sounds fine.

The examiners WILL form some kind of impression about you from the way you look and interact with them on the viva questions. I would say looking at least business casual smart gives the impression you want to create of the examiners taking you and your work seriously--at a professional level. Remember this viva is the bridge from student to--whatever wonderful future awaits! :)

I would say as important as what you wear--no more important--is the way you respond to questions about the thesis. If you can project confidence as you answer, then the examiners are likely to resolve any doubts they have in your favour.

But this again is a simple thing to convey ( confidence) in your non-verbal behaviour. Eye contact is key ( no no don't hide behind your hair!!!! better to show up to a viva in no clothing at all than to hide behind your hair!!! ).

My tips for addressing examiners--smile and be friendly when making introductions and entering the room. Make eye contact then, with each of them. Watch body language when you are sitting. "Closed" body language ( crossed arms, folding your arms over your body) indicates defensiveness. Open language ( arms on the table, relaxed, body angled towards and not away from examiners) indicates confidence.

When they ask questions, make eye contact as they speak to you. Even if you are taking notes of what they ask ( I cannot honestly remember if I took any notes...I had pen and paper to do this, but....blank...no recall on this) look at them at least briefly as they speak and you write. Take a few seconds to compose yourself if needed before replying. When replying, make that all important eye contact. Make sure to look at the examiner who did NOT ask the question as you answer, as well as the one who did.

The physical act of smiling helps to relax your body and relieve nerves, even if you still feel nervous inside. Breathing deeply also helps to relax your body. Silly as it may sound, remembering to breath when you answer is important! Take a few deep breaths if needed--remember nervous breathing is shallow breathing....if you breathe deep from the diaphragm, your body will relax. You will appear more confident and relaxed...even if you do not feel it.

So in a few words--eye contact with examiners here and there as they speak and you speak. Remember to focus on both, not just the one whose question you are asking. This is seemingly a small thing, but if you look at the examiner who did not ask you the question as you answer, he/she will feel included in the answer, and again, this boosts their view of your knowledge and confidence in your own work.

If it is at all possible to have a practice viva ( even if its just your mates asking you questions and you trying to answer) I would encourage it. It lets you see how you will react to answering questions--can you find the material you want in the thesis? Does your mind go blank as you listen to the question ( remember you can always ask to have the examiner repeat the question...or you could even ask the examiner if there is a particular part of the thesis he/she had in mind...something like that)? etc....

That said, I think you will be just fine. With all the work and thought and effort you are putting into it, I think you should sail through!

People have horror stories about their viva sometimes...but I have to say in its weird way, I enjoyed mi

sounds like i'll need an entire week just working on posture and eye contact otherwise i'll have to go in naked. lol. i wouldn't have to defend my thesis then. thanks for the tips.

i will definitely look at them both. :-) sigh...

am so bad with eye contact and actually never make it - ever. but i have a way of faking it and looking like am making it. so that will come in handy.

i will try hard not to hide in my hair while am thinking. lol.

first impressions count yes... i agree but i want to be as comfortable as i can be.... and that's not in a full suit. i should actually have a poll on whether i should wear my suit jacket or not just for that first impression.

meanwhile am enjoying reading my examiners work and so far we don't have differences which is good. am so amazed at how similar our work is... its like we talked before! the only difference is that he draws a lot on his experience to make a point, whilst i - having no real industry experience - make the point in the abstract.

i hope things stay this way lol.

thanks for thinking am prepared, but i do not feel that way at all. lol.

:-)

I would say--if you are not 100 percent sure you want to wear/would be comfortable in the suit jacket, don't do it. You surely do not want to show up in something that makes you feel fidgety, not quite yourself, uncertain. I think the outfit you have suggested sounds just fine. As I said, my full on suit was probably a bit over the top! But I felt confident and comfortable and in charge in it...all those things...so I thought, what the heck. In the end, what you wear is not going to swing the viva one way or the other.....you will neither doom a pass or rescue a fail based on your clothing!

Its only just a little part of the whole "performance"--and again, YOU want to be very very happy with whatever you wear, to the point you are not thinking of the outfit at all during the viva. You need your mind free and focused on the examiners.

I have for instance a top that looks great on the hanger and periodically I get it out and think, why I should wear it. But then I am always sorry--I just do not like the way it looks and feel self-concious all day in it. Last time I wore it, I hated it so much that I spent the day with a hoodie thrown over the top of it--that was me in hoodie, yukky top, long skirt and heels. :p But I felt better that way with the hoodie over the top!

So go for your instincts on what makes you happy and feel like "you" in the viva, rather than clothing that feels awkward or strange or just self-concious if you wear it.

======= Date Modified 01 Jan 2011 17:38:35 =======
hi one and all... hope you're all having a happy new yr!

(gift)

revision is going ok. i've been ill for the last few days.. suffering from some flu like symptoms only without the actual flu, but am ok now. i managed to read most of my externals work and so far we agree on everything, so am well pleased. i have even managed to find typos in his work (so hopefully he won't be too harsh on me for mine!) and answered one of the areas for future research he identifies in his work. so am well chuffed!

am still on ch.3 though.... :-( so its gonna be a marathon doing all the remaining 4 chapters in 2 days. but that's ok because i'll be more of reading it like a novel seeing i have a pretty good idea of what to expect from my examiner as well as the content of the thesis. (Yes I really do know my thesis. i keep telling myself that.) mock vivas haven't started yet. maybe tomorrow or the day after. i'll have just one! :$ just to make sure i can talk about my stuff or at least i can remember it. (You can remember it Jojo!)

otherwise am still very optimistic yay! and looking forward to completion of what has been my life for the last 5 yrs! yipee! time for new things now.

happy 2011 everyone!

Happy New Year All.

I have a good feeling about 2011 for no apparent reason.  Is there a general warm glow out there or is the media fed gloom winning?
 
To jojo and all. I have a question on viva prep, how long before the viva would be a good time to start prep? I'm torn as I'm concerned about starting too early and, obviously, too late is too... anything too is too ;-)

So, what's not too ?

My plan was a month before, be really good to hear your opinions ?

Thanks Chuff

To Chuff: I'd recommend starting no sooner than a month before the likely date. I actually started before I had a firm date, but I knew roughly when my viva was going to be, and in the end was only given 3 weeks notice, and had already started preparing. As you say, if you start too early it can backfire. I also think you can do a lot in very little time. I had only a handful of good hours a week to work on viva prep, and managed to read and summarise my thesis (70K words) in a very short time, and prepare the 5 key viva questions that Tinkler and Jackson identified. And I passed 8-)

Hey Chuff, I'm prepping just 2 weeks in advance, I could have done some over Christmas but decided I needed the break so I'm just 2 weeks away now! Almost wish I'd started earlier but I know it would have just scared me even more so I'm feeling ok, hopefully it's enough though!! Good luck!

To Jojo, good luck for your viva, I know it's coming soon, I'm sure you'll be great though!!!

i'd say however long it usually takes you to prepare for one paper of other exams. i think 2 weeks is ok! too early can result in a burn out. all the best Algae... sigh. hope i woke up and it was all over! lol.

Bilbo am spending my last day going thro your 5 questions and relying on logic and preparation for the rest.

had a mini mock viva infront of the mirror and i was quit surprised by how well it went.. :-) i hope thats a reflection of whats to come. i could remember stuff even from chapters i haven't read yet. lol.

putting the outfit together.... ;-)

Thanks all.

BB - So month it is.. nice to be reassured i'm somewhere near to "normal" ;-) . I've got the tinkler book, recommended on here previously.

jojo, do i read your post correctly ? is your viva tomorrow ? If so... i would like to thank you for spending the time in writing this thread i've enjoyed reading your story. If not... I'd still like to thank you but i'll wait :-)

AQ .. you've always had a quiet confidence so 2 weeks out sounds about right for you. keep posting what you're up to .. i can follow suit.

Regards, Chuff

Jojo, good luck in the last prep. Don't do too much today as what is not remembered now is not worth remembering. You know your thesis and examiners work inside and out so you will do just fine. I have enjoyed reading your thread as you have put so much work and info into this. I am sure you will do really well and I will await your viva posting!

Make sure you take everything you think you will need as this gives confidence. Dress smartly but comfortably! Just remember that your examiners will most likely have walked this journey too so will know how you are feeling.

======= Date Modified 02 Jan 2011 15:09:03 =======
thanks all..

@chuff - my viva is on Wednesday! meant i'll spend Tuesday going through Bilbos questions.

my plan for today and tomorrow is to finish reading the thesis and have a few mini vivas with the mirror and a friend. and also finish that typos list. i'll also print out typos list and slides tomorrow. i intended to go in with my slides which have my short notes rather than an annotated thesis with stickers all round. am also going to the hair dresser's on Tuesday!

@Dunni - i work best under pressure so its reading til the last minute for me. that's the way i've always done it.. and its worked for me. if i did nothing i'd be too worried and nervous so actually going through my short notes focuses my mind and calms nerves.

as i live away from uni..... i've booked myself into one of the top hotels near the uni where i'll give myself a little treat - good night sleep, peace of mind and a great breakfast - before the viva that afternoon. 8-) am not taking chances with the trains on the day of the viva or with distractions from family & friends! last thing i need is to miss it because of transport problems or be down or nervous and under-perform because of someone else.

back to the reading now.... :-)

all the best everyone!

oh all the best Algae. i know how it feels two weeks to. am just glad it will be over for you too soon!