Hi Stressed,

Thanks for the encouragements...child birth a piece of cake...let me think....no I don't want to think about it...
One thing is sure, I am dead stressed for tomorrow but as you said and so many told me...it will be over! (I hope)
I go back to some reading and then will go out to chill out...

======= Date Modified 03 Jun 2010 10:33:29 =======

Hi 4Matt,

Do not give up and make a list of priorities. Try to give yourself some feasable tasks everyday that will give you the
positive feeling to go somewhere.
What you are feeling is more than normal for a PhD student! We all have been there and are.
I have my VIVA tomorrow and I can tell you I know how you feel...the stress, the anxiety, the fears...my family is far far away from here and when I am at home I have to first take care of my kid and home management tasks and then get some time for myself that of course is invested in the PhD. Plus I am 8 months pregnant so have to support all of the nice feeling of pregnancy (heartburn, insomnia, pains...).
If I can do it, you can!
See the things in a positive way, at least if we give you all these responsabilities it is because they know that you have the knowledge.
The posters will help you gain invaluable feedbacks on your work, your report will help you keep track and stand back on what has been done and the work of the post-doc will allow you to learn new techniques!!

Good luck :-) and keep positive (up)

Time is flying...so much left to read and read and read... why oh why did I start this PhD...the sun is shining, people having fun without thinking of their hypothesis, methodology and evaluations....life is so unfair :-(:-(:-(

But then you think after Friday I might be one of them :-):-):-) sad or happy at leat I will be free... I am dreaming once you start a PhD you accept that you will never be free....you mind has been taken by science.

VIVA minus 2 days!!!!!!

Squiggles yours is tomorrow, how are you feeling today? What are your plans for the days?


Today I might go to my university to assist at a seminar, in fact i don't really want to but apparently it will take my mind of things and help me...no to sure...but anyway my brain is dead so I'll see

yellowtreble No NEWS! please tell us! :-)

Good luck to you Squiggles, is it morning or afternoon?

======= Date Modified 01 Jun 2010 21:48:10 =======
Thanks BilboBaggins, I know I should relax but it is so hard to do. Tomorrow I will try to go to the swimming pool to relax.

CairoTango, who is the other pregnant woman? Somebody is in the same situation as me?
If it is the case I also hope she didn't go into labour because of the stress, this is my worst nightmare
I try to control the stress as much as I can be as the days pass by my brain becomes empty and then the stress emerges...
I want to run away to a different planet but then I will never know the answer on my work.

I read one chapter a last time then try to sleep.

Good night everyone.

I am starting to doubt even more on my knowledge as my brain is playing some tricks...

A QUESTION please: Are we suppose to memorize our thesis? If we forget something can we consult the thesis during the VIVA? Does it look bad to do it? Do we have to remember the references...I mean all of them...some of them I read ages ago and I am sure with the stress I won't automatically remember all of them....anyway I am so bad at remembering names and dates...

Hope some of you will advice on that

======= Date Modified 01 Jun 2010 16:32:54 =======
yellowtreble HOW DID IT GO?

I hope it went well or perhapse it is going well!!!
Please let us know the details once you have the opportunity:-)

I cannot imagine how you are feeling...I am so stressed just of the idea it is coming...waiting to come into the room...being asked the first question...finding the right words....or perhaps nothing nothing coming out of my mouth...oh god!

VIVA minus 3 days!!!!!

How are the others having the viva this week doing?

Hope it goes well! Please let us know!

Congratulations!

I am so Happy for you! How do you feel?
Did you have to go through the viva?

I am having my viva this friday and feel I will go throough the same as you. How was your first viva? What happened? Did you have to do a second viva? If yes how was it?

Again CONGRATULATIONS DOC!

======= Date Modified 31 May 2010 19:23:54 =======
Good luck yellowtreble!!!

Please come back on the forum tomorrow to tell us about your experience! Which field are you in?

Some reading I have done on VIVA preparation:
When answering the questions:
- Pause to think
- Provide structured answers
- be specific
- be explicit
- Elaborate when needed
- speak in the past tense
- say "I"
- Define and then defend
- Accept criticism
- BREATH....

LOL I am dead afraid of this VIVA experience! I feel like I know nothing and that I forgot everything about
my thesis even if I spent ages writing it!

BREATH, BREATH, BREATH.....:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

I have a friend who failed his PhD a few months ago, wawww it was horrible to see...I wanted to give up but kept on trying and trying...he made it to submission but the viva went wrong and he got an MPhil.
The period it happened was horrible, I didn't know how to help him so I simply listened to him think aloud about his experience...he then said now what....

Now nearly a year has passed since and he changed his negative feeling into positive ones, he had learn tonnes of things from the PhD experience and knew he was not stupid... So he went for his dream and he opened his own company. He is so happy, it is working slowly but well, he is so different...And last month when I had him on the phone and said that in fact it is a good thing he didn't get his PhD because he might hve ended up in a job that was not really for him.

All of this to tell you that this is not the end of the world and life continues...he has to think of what he wants to become.

Good luck.

As for you he is lucky to have you so be proud of what you are acheiving and good luck with your submission.

Thanks BilboBaggins,

I really find this question tricky...I don't know why.
More suggestions while I am thinking would be good :$

======= Date Modified 30 May 2010 11:15:54 =======
For the ones who already had their VIVA, what was you answer to "What would you do differently if you had the chance?"

Hello,


Thanks UnderVerse for the links, got some useful info from them.
I met my supervisor and the advice was to RELAX as it has already been submitted and I will be asked about something I have been doing for so long....mmmmhhhhh STILL I AM STRESSED! And i am so afraid to go blank!

I want to cry, to hide, to run away, to sleep!!!!

But I have to go through it so will try to be courageous :$

I cannot sleep because I am too stressed, it is crazy I am so afraid to make a full of myself!
I am so bad at public presentations...I prefer writing. I love doing research in my small lab, I like writing about it and sharing my ideas this way...but I hate talking about it, I never find the write words to explain things...my communication skills are rubbish...guess will have to improve one day...

Enjoy your bank holiday, Good luck to the students in my case VIVA - 4 days....oh my god!!!!

I received two books today: "How to survive the viva" and "The doctoral examination process"
Will go through them and give you my opinion on what seems the most helpful.

I am still so so so stressed, I can feel it in my throat and tummy! Oh God 7 days to GO....