Hello,

I am new to these forums, but have found them so helpful whilst i have been revising for my viva.

I am extremely nervous about it and really don't feel prepared. I have made lots of notes and i am continuing to revise. My viva is in a week now.

Has anyone got any advice, any tips?

I feel so down and upset about it for some reason and it is making me feel seriously under-confident.

HELP!

Thanks in advance,
Elise :-)

I've posted lots of advice in the last day or so in the "Viva preparation advice" thread, as have other people. So do check that out. It's currently on the front page of the relevant section of the forum.

How do you feel about your thesis? I wasn't confident in mine, but felt I'd done my best, and what would be would be. I wasn't nervous in the run-up to the viva, because I figured the examiners were going to judge me primarily on my thesis. That may be an unusual reaction though.

Generally what people say who've been through vivas - myself included - is that they are much less scary than we anticipated they would be. So try not to worry too much. If you've been revising your thesis you *are* well prepared. Try to rest in the last few days beforehand, pamper yourself a bit, and try not to worry too much. I didn't actually sleep at all the night before my viva, so was getting through on adrenaline alone, but somehow managed it.

Good luck!

Thank you!!! I am currently reading though it :-) I am working my way through all the great advice!

I am not confident at all, i have had lots of problems with my supervisor and editting prior to submission and feel really uncertain about the state of my thesis. I have lost confidence in my work, which is giving me problems whilst i have been revising. I keep thinking to myself that i can't do this :-( hence giving massive amounts of fear ahhhhhh! hehe. ;-)

I'm mainly nervous because there is just so much to revise and obviously i can't learn absolutely everything, so its deciding which bits are the most important i guess?!

Thanks so much for your reply :-)

======= Date Modified 07 Sep 2010 19:44:47 =======
You can't be expected to memorise everything, so don't worry about that. I have significant memory problems - a form of dementia - due to neurological disease, so took a very fatalistic view to what I would memorise! Follow my advice in the other thread about 5 higher level issues you can focus on to cut things down. And you will have your thesis there to refer to, if you need it.

I went into the viva expecting any result at all, from outright failure up to minor corrections (ok I didn't think I'd have a perfect pass). So I wasn't optimistic either. But again I took the view that what would be would be, I'd done my best possible with the thesis in the circumstances, and would do my best in the viva. No-one can do any more than that.

Thanks so much for your advice :-) It is nice to talk to others who have already been through it!

Does anyone else have any words of wisdom?

:-)

I am just reading through my thesis, and the more often I read through it the more mistakes I discover....
I expected to have some spelling mistakes bust until now I have surely found around 10 plus I got 2 parameters
wrong (damn you copy and past :)). How does this work for the VIVA. Do I say at the beginning that I have
a copy with me where I also found some mistakes since I submitted the thesis and I wanna correct them?

Cheers

======= Date Modified 08 Sep 2010 20:44:34 =======
I took a list of my typos into the viva and handed it to the examiners and convenor at the beginning of my viva. All were grateful, and those mistakes were added to their list of very minor typographical corrections.

What's worse is finding mistakes after you've submitted the corrected hard-bound version :) But I don't care any more. I passed. Yay!

I am currently reading through my thesis again and making notes regarding areas that need more reading for viva.

I know exactly what you mean, you just pick up more typos, i have also made a list of all my errors found.

When is your viva? How are you feeling about the whole thing?

:-)

My Viva is in around 10 days, the more I read the thesis the worse it gets... have discovered at least 10-15 spelling mistakes and
I am sure that the examiners will find some more since I am not a native speaker. The only hope that keeps me going is that I have
4 publications out of my PhD, so hopefully this will also be acklowedged to some extent.

Good luck with your preparation efforts, it all will be over soon ;)

Hi Elise,  I'm way off your position of VIVA on the doorstep and can only stop by to wish you all the best. I spoke to Professor yesterday who said the best thing to see in a VIVA is humility,  an acknowledgement that you are finished and yet just starting out. They are human and want to see you at your best,  they want you to get through. They are most concerned that it is your work, and can therefore argue the reasons for the decisions made. They also love enthusiasm for the subject ( i asked whether this was an ask too far :-) )  he laughed .. didn't answer though.

Patrick,  could i ask a practical question about a comment you made - do you mean conferences as publication or journals ?  i'm unclear what people mean and i guess am thinking of my own time management,  target conferences or journals

best to all. Chuff

Thanks so much for your best wishes!

Luckily I had a really good meeting with my supervisor today and had a mock viva, it feels much less scary now. I still have some cramming to do, but thats just how I work I guess :-)

I think feeling generally confident that you have done the best you can is always a good starting point for a viva (well i hope)!

I have no publications (journals) yet although we are working on 2 at the moment, so talking about this in your viva is a good thing as well apparently. Hope this helps.

Cheers :-)

first of all: Good Luck dear :)
I had my viva last year , what i did is :
- be prepared to answer any question..
- stand in front of a mirror, practice giving a small presentation about your thesis
-take a bottle of water with you ... u might need it
-grape a couple of articles that you might think you ought to have them ( maybe important , or u used them as an important reference )
- if you are doing law, make yourself familiar with the cases you have used, their location within you r text, and why are they important
- make your " contribution to knowledge " clear , and mention it over and over again.
- take a pen and paper with you , write down any note they might give you
-don't rush to answer, take your time

I really wish you all the best, I know the feeling you are going through and I hate it too.
please keep us updated

Eni
(up)

Hello,

I just wanted to update about my viva. I passed :-)

The viva went really well and very quickly indeed....it lasted for about 2 hours and really didnt seem that long at all.

Thanks for everyones comments about my viva beforehand, they were really helpful.

THANKS again!

:-)