So I had my viva this morning. 3.5 hours and I felt like I was run through the mill. The clinician everyone thought wouldn't know much about electrophysiology was actually s**t-hot on my area. I felt like a total fraud in his presence and I couldn't argue with anything he said. In summary, the verdict was "deferred decision, pending major corrections".
I have to literally reanalyse everything using a different parameter and I have no idea whether my original findings/conclusions will be the same. My examiners thought I gave a good viva and that I shouldn't need to do another one. However, I think they didn't want to kick me while I was down. What I was thinking would be an intellectually stimulating chat turned out to be an admission of naiveity.
They explained that the volume of work was too much for 3 months ( minor corrections) and given that I have a full time job, giving me major corrections (12 months) was more appropriate.
As this was something that was evidently a problem before I started writing my thesis, I feel angry and frustrated at my supervisors for not picking this up beforehand.Has anyone else had a similar experience? I need reassurance :(