Hi everyone

I'm brand new to this site and wish I'd found it earlier - I actually found it while googling 'viva outcomes' at 3am, 20 hours post-viva and not knowing quite how to feel about the result. I'd really appreciate any comments/suggestions/anecdotes from anyone in a similar situation.

So, I *think* I passed with six months to complete major revisions, but I'm not sure whether that counts as 'Major Revisions' or 'Revise and Resubmit'. I thought I'd share my experience anyway, for those who are waiting for their vivas, and for my own sanity!

My supervisor was present at my viva, but I had a period of waiting (alone) in the corridor outside before the exam started, and I could hear the internal and external discussing my thesis, even though the door was closed. What they were saying was not particularly positive, and it knocked me a bit before I even started. Once the viva itself kicked off, though, they threw some really good questions at me and I was happy with my answers. They'd left a bottle of water and a cup on the table in front of me, so I used that as a prop when I needed to gather my thoughts. About halfway through, the chair seemed to be winding up and I thought, Phew! I just survived my viva! - only to have him say, "so, that's the general questions. Let's get down to specifics." I thought, those were *general* questions?!? But the specifics were actually easier in some ways, and, what I thought was the beginning of a HUGE section of questions was actually relatively brief. Afterwards, I was asked to leave the room and come back at midday (it was then 11:40) for the decision. My supervisor said how pleased she was with my answers and how she thought I was a natural scholar and I'd aced the viva.

So, I came back in and the chair spoke the following words: "Well. These are NOT minor revisions that we're going to give you." Imagine a tone of impending doom. I actually felt the blood drain from my face, but I held it together until the examiners had finished talking, thanked them, and only burst into tears when I was safely out of earshot. My supervisor insisted that it was a pass, but the words I'd heard were "NOT minor" and "we'll discuss the need for a second viva after the examiners have read your resubmission". I spent the rest of the day crying my eyes out, but on a phone call with my supervisor (and my original first supervisor, who left the university after my second year but with whom I've remained in close contact) that evening, both assured me that the chair had specifically stated that there would be no re-viva and that everyone had said how impressed they were with my work and my viva and me in general, and that the external says there's definitely a book in my thesis. I'm feeling a lot better consequently, but I don't really know whether to think of this as a pass "subject to", or a resubmission that could still technically fail, or even how to feel about the thesis and/or viva. Can anyone relate?

A pass is a pass and definitly not a fail so congratuations (up). That must have been so disconcerting hearing them discuss your thesis before yoru viva actually started. 'Def a book in your thesis" is fab news and coming from the external is brilliant. It hints that maybe they didn't 100% like how you constructed it but did like your argument.

Hopefully between you and your supervisor you will be able to get clear instructions as to exactly what they want you to do.

Congratulations :-)

Hi eimeo
I'm in the same time frame as you but had a much easier time than you in my viva. I am appreciating how lucky i was.  Any change feels like a big change, minor and major are subjective opinion. For example, i may have to / decide to add another chapter to mine, albeit a mini one, some may consider that a big deal, i don't and neither did my examiners but they could have presented it in that way if they felt like. They are a strange bunch.  I would suggest, and I'm talking to myself as well here,  waiting until you get the revision list from the Uni and see what you actually have to do.. or in my case how you can argue for not doing some.

As Ady said, you have passed and my God a book! a book ! how fab is that. Whatever work you do to your thesis now, think of its as book preparation - reframe it.  why not, gets you a long way looking at things from another angle.

all the best. Chuff 

Firstly, Eimeo, Congratulations on passing! I had a somewhat similar experience to yours in that I was passed but the deliberation produced the outcome that I must revise my thesis substantially and it would take more than 2 weeks to do so (from a month to 6 months or so). I can understand that feeling of being lost, especially after the defence or viva, that does not just mean that you are to be successfully conferred the PhD after the final submission of a revised thesis, but that you do not know too if you want to be an academic or how the academic job market in your field of study will turn out. I was immensely stressed for about 3 months or so from the end of November till the end of January when everything was finally approved, and even contemplated leaving academia. But you know, this could also be a form of performance anxiety or burnout, and you should watch out for it. Don't sweat too much over it! Remember, it is good that you passed, whatever the amount of revisions. I had the external telling me that he doubted the thesis is suited to being changed into a book, owing to the direction of the various chapters, but he did say that there was definitely material for a few journal articles of peer-reviewed status, and so it was not even that bad in retrospect although his written remarks were not good to begin with.
That could constitute a form of setback in a way, but there even peers and juniors who heard from me about it said that you can never please everyone in academia; in fact, your work will experience its fair share of supporters, detractors, critics and even haters. So all in all, pat yourself on the back, tell yourself, "I did my best and the rest is not within my control", and then move onto finishing the revisions and the final submission. You will have another set of concerns to be thinking (and probably worried about too) when you finally graduate, but you will have time and space to do that later on too.

Thanks, everyone! I LOVE this site: it's such a safe, supportive forum and I've recommended it to all my PG friends in the hope that they'll start using it *before* their vivas! Having now caught up on the sleep I lost Friday night, I'm feeling much more positive about the way forward and concentrating on the good feedback I got (so easy to only hear that there's extensive revision required and forget - which I did until this morning - that they also said there was no problem with the argument or my writing style). I'm also extremely fortunate that, while I'm working FT at the moment, it's a short term contract that ends this month, so I'm planning to use my final paycheck to fund a full month of work on my thesis in April. My supervisor is also confident that, if I get my head down and do what I'm asked, I'll be able to graduate this summer. So it's really not as black and horrible as it seemed on Friday! Plus, I absolutely love my topic and I sort of feel like I've craftily managed to wangle an extra month with it :p I think if I'm 100% honest, I knew that the thesis wasn't ready when I submitted it. I can't blame my supervisor for that; it was a difficult situation and she got me pretty much by default when my original supervisor left, so she really had very little knowledge of my field. Plus I was determined to submit when I did, mostly because I couldn't afford to carry on studying (I was funded for three years, but I was two months late submitting). Given the chance to do it again, I suspect I'd still submit when I did because I'm the only person in my household and I needed to have money coming in from somewhere - I couldn't get a job despite months and months of trying, and I couldn't get Housing Benefit or JSA while I was still a student (which I was until I submitted). So there's a moral in here somewhere, but I'm not sure what it is.... Submit in good time, or keep your fingers crossed that your early-draft thesis is good enough that they at least give you a second go at it, rather than decide to give you an MPhil (or even a fail)? I'm lucky in a lot of ways, and now I'm looking forward to getting the examiners' report, meeting with my supervisor and my internal, and making this thesis the thesis that I *should* have submitted!

I'm sorry to hear that you overheard the examiners prior to starting the Viva - that's terrible, must have been very upsetting and you have my total admiration for facing it. You came through it which is great and you've adopted a fantastic attitude. Be proud as you have every right to be and WELL DONE!!! (up)(up)(up)

That must have been a blood curdling moment to hear those words but great that you managed to go through it and argue your points well. That must have taken some doing so congrats on that! You've definitely passed so you can start calling yourself Dr! As others have mentioned a book - wow that's great news. Don't worry about the corrections - they probably just didn't like the way you structured one chapter or something like that as they can be very critical. I had a very long "general" questions section too before they got to the specifics! Overall my written comments were more positive than I thought as I didn't know what to feel afterwards - I think numb would have been a good word! I think we are often overly critical of ourselves especially just after the viva which wasn't as bad I thought it'd be! Glad to see that you've had some time to mull it over and it doesn't seem so bad. Once those corrections are out of the way you'll be fine. Good luck. (up)

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Firstly congrats - you've passed which is great!

Funnily enough the same thing happened to me. I was rushing to get it finished in time so it wasn't 100 % when I submitted it but I had run out of time! So the stuff I have to restructure and do again were the bits I wrote in a hurry and apparently it showed! Doh!!! It wasn't what I had hoped for but under the circumstances I didn't do too badly as they didn't complain too much about the rest of the thesis! I even got told that the other main chapter was good which was the one I really enjoyed doing unlike the one I have to reorganise so it flows better. So I can definitely relate to you. It sounds like you've come to grips with it so it should be a piece of cake now.
(gift) - they really should have a cake instead!