Hi everyone. I've just had my first-year upgrade viva today. I've passed, and I'm delighted. But my viva submission material was torn to bits - the examiners just didn't like it and didn't see how it would fit into a doctoral project. However, the ensuing discussion was really productive and will help me structure the terms of my project and the framework for it. So I do feel more confident in that respect

But it does basically mean re-thinking the entire structure of the PhD, and I can't help but wonder if I've just wasted a whole year. I've only got funding for three years and I'm now beginning to freak out about having to more or less change the structure of my thesis. I've got to provide a list of themes and sources for the end of September, which will mean that whilst my thesis will have a 'plan', I won't actually have written anything. My only consolation is that I have passed, so the examiners must have thought I am on track to complete on time.

Has anyone else been in this position, where they more or less have to go back to square 1 with the thesis, 1 year in? Has it affected your overall timeline for completion?

Thank you in advance.

Hi,

I am a fellow first year - nervously awaiting my upgrade. Congrats for passing! I don't know anything about what went on during the meeting, but I do have two things to say:

1) Is it possible that rather than re-structuring the entire PhD this is just 'a lot to do'? I only ask because I've had that in the past - thinking comments meant an entire re-do and when I really dug down into them they actually didn't mean that. And do you agree with them and their comments? Do your supervisors?

2) I definitely don't think you've wasted a year - if you do have to make these changes then write down why, what the examiners and you have found that means it wouldn't work in its original format. Why do the changes have to happen? My supervisor always says that a PhD isn't about learning something new; it's actually about learning what you don't know. And at the end of the day surely its better for this to happen now than during your viva?

Lastly, just a word of encouragement: I know someone in their 2nd year (of a life sciences PhD) and who has just had to start from absolute scratch, including a new literature review. She has created a timeline with her supervisors, and although she will be very busy she is down to submit on time! These things seem to happen a fair bit :)

Oh, absolute lastly - you are right to think the examiners must think you have the potential to pass on time. They definitely wouldn't have passed you otherwise - the mini-viva is not a cakewalk :)