Good luck Rah!! :-)

no i havent had my viva, i'm currently preparing for it. starting today! i keep avoiding reading my thesis, but going to force myself today.

Hi everyone. am clocking in for the day. i'm pretending as if i am preparing a lecture to teach subject 1 of my thesis.

so today my aims are:

1. sort through the papers that are relevant

2. prepare notes in order to introduce the subject, give the history, the principles, key players etc. (using my thesis as a starting point).

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okay me offskie ..only did 2 hours today! very bad of me

but i did a brainstorm on my whiteboard. basically without reading anything from my thesis, tried to write keywords and anything i could remember about one of my subjects from my thesis. which was quite good, as i thought i knew zero, but some things were coming back to me.

tommorow going to start reading the chapter and studying my thesis.

me going to bed nite nite

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Hey Ruby, oh dear sorry to hear you are feeling unwell. i hope you feel better soon, try to rest up and take it easy today if you can. that way you can get better sooner! hope your day is going well.

hey armendaf - how's the viva prep going?

i'm clocking in for the day, a very late start for me whoopsy!

my plan of action, is to study and concentrate on subject 1 (out of the 4 my thesis covers). so will study the introduction, methods, results and discussion that are relevant for subject 1.

i plan to understand all the ins and outs, break it down into sections, and see it at different angles, and try to prepare qs and answers for it too. do extra reading for it, and make notes that i actually understand and can articulate and explain to another person. basically pretend that i have to actually teach this subject to undergrads.
i tend to make copious notes that i dont even fully understand, so there's no point of doing that. i'm going to make notes that i actually understand and can then explain from memory. not learn anything by rote, but actually understanding the principles. this of course takes time. but its an investment worth taking i believe. because until you truly know a subject, you cant talk about it convincigly enough.


so my first aim is to understand subject 1 fully. make sort of a gigantic mindmap for it. connecting the chapter with my 1st paper and to the papers that have cited my paper, to the history on which the theory rests on, to any new information that has been published since i wrote the chapter.

Rowena Murray's advice is:

quote {
"you really have to understand everything you've written in your thesis..

" re-reading your thesis: although....simply reading the thesis is not in itself enough. it is an essential first step in the process of re-engagement with the text. it does not just mean re-reading the thesis as if it were a book, from start to finish. instead it means reading it as a text that is soon to be examined.

"for each chapter:
*read the chapter from start to finish
* write one sentence about each chapter. this will act as a prompt for your thinking and recall
* put single-word prompts in the margin. this will help you to find your way if you lose your place
* convert the chapter into a series of qs and answers

{end quote}
===

Sarah good luck for your viva tommorow!!! as Murray says - take it easy today, relax,and treat yourself.

good luck Chris and miss spacey, keep going, you're doing great!

i'm blowing out my mightnight candle and calling it a day. i finally finished murray's book!!

- thanks so much for the recommendation Miss spacey! it really is a great book for viva prep, i would recommend everyone read it after they submit their thesis in preparation for their viva. its very concentrated, so will take longer to read that you anticipate.

hope you two are okay. (up)

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i am clocking out for the day!

i finally finished murray's book. boy i'm a slowcoach lol. but i'm glad i've finished it. there is alot of stuff in it, to take on board and absorb, heavily highlighted in pink with loads of post it notes for the important bits.

tommorow is a brand new day and day 1 of me actually studying my thesis for my viva. yikes! i'm dreading having to read and study my thesis lol. it's going to feel so alien and i know i'm going to be like, who wrote this??? i certainly didnt! i dont remember any of it :p

goodnight everyone see you tommorow :-)

going to watch abit of telly till i feel sleepy and then head to bed.

======= Date Modified 21 Jan 2009 02:01:59 =======
thanks Chris :) and lol glad your enjoying the vitual coffee.

i've just finished reading chapter 9. it was short and snappy about how even after your viva, you will feel like its an anticlimax.
onto the last chapter now !

hey miss spacey! another comrad, hurrah!! good luck with your writing :-)

my friend once told me the best way is to give examples.

so instead of saying. i work good in a team and independetly. think of an actual example you can give. that way you're not just listing random adjectives describing yourself. but someone can actually see your good qualities through practical examples. :)

hey chris! signing in for the nightshift duty, sir yes sir *salutes* lol

nice to have a fellow nocturnal awake and burning the midnight oil! you got me for company. i want to finish reading the book about how to survive a viva and i got 2 chapters left to read. so i'm determined to finish reading it. hopefully wont take too long.

*hands Chris a giant mug of strong coffee* keep going soldier, you can do it!

======= Date Modified 21 Jan 2009 01:23:05 =======
Hey Ruby and everyone else!

i've been abit naughty, slacked off abit today, watched the inauguration :) his speech was very inspiring. a change for the better i think.
anyways i dont know about politics, but i am feeling positive about the new president :-)

finished reading chapter 7 and 8 today of murray's book,

about to start on chapter 9 , i'm determined to finish the book tonight, so i can start fresh tommorow and get cracking on studying my actual thesis.

i've been inspired about how its the presidents first day in the oval office tommorow. so i want to finish the book tonite, so i CAN start studying my thesis tommorow lol. i know im a lameo.

i always think a week starts on monday. but i guess everyday matters. in the past -half way through the week, i would be like, oh i will just slack off the rest of the week, its nearly over and start working on monday all fresh and this week is practically gone and wasted, but then monday the pattern starts again- but going to have a new outlook and not think of in terms of beginning of weeks, but see everyday as an opportunity to study.

aims tonite:
read chapter 9 and chapter 10. and finish the murrah book once and for all!! {battle face}
----

how was everyone elses day today? Ruby how is it going? good csi episode. i read the synopsis on radiotimes about sara, and it was like, yeh yeh get out of here already. lol i thought the review was abit harsh lol

review - radiotimes - quote { "The perpetually wet and annoying Sara Sidle is still hanging around so she can suffer emotional torment after over-empathising with a victim. Tonight, in the midst of needless angst over an old case, she whimpers, "This is why I can't do this any more." Yes, we know. But you don't do it any more, do you Sara? You're no longer a CSI and you've already left once, so why don't you just push off and leave the rest of the sadly depleted CSI team to get on with their jobs. And that includes your boyfriend, Gil." } end quote

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i have heard that once you quit a phd, its very hard to get another one. once you commit to a phd, that's it, you're committed. so choose very very wisely

im not saying you cant quit a phd, but im saying you cant choose a phd and then think, oh this isnt right for me, im gonna quit and then look for another one.

I concur with what Ruby said - great advice.

it's great you are so motivated and enthusiastic, and i agree with Ruby, focus 100% on your BA, get the best grade you can, and read as much as you can on the topics you will be examined on. its very easy to be distracted by tangents. but yah a phd is a very long way off right now for you. you will have plenty of time to develop your knowledge for your phd whilst your doing your phd.

i dont meant to dampen your spirits. but put all your zest for your subject in your undergrad. thats super you are enjoying your course, and its sad that majority of them are apathetic. because its nice to have a study partner and bounce ideas of someone.

what is your subject exactly?

i wish i had abit of your enthusiasm, its so refreshing and catchy! nice to read your message :)