I had my viva this morning, it lasted two hours, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I still have a few corrections to do, but I'm over the moon. I never thought it would happen. Thank you all for your great advice and listening to my constant worries :-)

I've had people tell me to read all of my references before the viva, I didn't have the time to, I have read them all throughout my PhD at some point, all except one, I'm thinking I might get asked about this. I had written something like "B[1] did blah blah blah as discussed in C[2]" it will be obvious I hadn't read this paper but I just couldnt find it anywhere, it doesnt seem to be in print at all, it is quite an old paper, from the 60s. Today I'm concentrating solely on the thesis and writing up a document with all the typos/cut and paste errors in my thesis, I feel I know my thesis but the references is in the back of my mind (down)

Mmm...I think short answers (not plain yes/no answers) would be best for me, I had a tendency to dig myself into holes at conferences. At the moment I'm trying to write a summary of my thesis and revise it so I will be able to talk about it when I go in there, giving them less time to ask questions, and trying not to make it sound to much like the abstract. ;-)

It is the references I'm finding hard to memorise, I have about 60 references, I can't remember them all, what could they possibly ask? Is it a good idea just to bring all the references into the exam with me and if they ask me something from a paper, I could just look at it? This is more work than the write up :$

Apologises for the constant rambling about my thesis and questions about this viva, I'm very grateful to you guys, thank you all! 8-)

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I posted this twice, how did that happen?:$

Hi Jenny, I submitted my thesis in 3yrs exactly, I'm in the sciences so my thesis would be quite short in comparison to one in the humanities. The thing about research is knowing when enough is enough and there is always going to be things you want to put into your thesis no matter how long it is. I would say set yourself personal goals, have a weekly timetable( a routine is good:-) ), allowing for holidays, sickness etc. At the start everybody hopes to finish in 3yrs but we dont know what these three years will bring, set yourself the 3yr target, but remember there is the choice of extension if you need it!

Good Luck :-)

Thanks Dr BB :-) At the moment I'm going through my thesis looking at things I think I will get asked about because they aren't totally clear. Is it wise to give a long answer or a short, say 30 second answer?

Hi Badgerspy, your personal life is none of your supervisors business, but when ever it starts to affect your work it does become their business. I think you should tell him because if you dont he might think you are just lazy, which will affect your working relationship, and at the end of the day he will be the one writing your references. I would just be honest and tell him it was late because you are having a few personal problems which is affecting your work. You can tell him the details of it if he asks and if you want him to know. He might not give you the non-academic support, but at least he will be aware of the situation. It's always best to be honest.

Good Luck:-)

Thanks guys, but why have a viva if they have already made up their mind? Waiting for the viva is torture and stressful:-s

Thanks guys, it's the nerves starting to kick in :$

Hey Everyone, I have my viva at the end of next week. How likely is it that the examiners will have made their decision before I go into the viva? I'm quite disappointed with my thesis but I know that I know the subject well, I dont feel my thesis reflects this, too short full of typos and mistakes.

Hi Lostinoz, I would apologise via email first and then when I saw him on monday I would talk to him about it. It might make you feel less awkward about seeing him again.

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I think you are better apologising now rather than later, maybe not for being annoyed because we will all get like that, but the way you spoke him. I think getting kicked off your PhD for this would be a bit extreme as there will always be rocky patches when you have to work with someone for 3+ yrs so I wouldn't worry about that. The longer you leave this the harder it will be and it will affect your relationship with your supervisor. A good student/supervisor relationship is crucial for a successful PhD. Good Luck:-)

I'm not doing a mock viva because I am not the best speaker in the world and if my supervisor asks me something I can't answer it will destroy my confidence for it. I think I know my thesis well enough, I just dont think there is enough material in it, and it is full of major typos, these are my main worries and I'm stressing too much about it. I'm going to go in with a list of corrections and hope they wont go too hard on me. My viva is the end of next week :-(