Hi all,

Last week my viva has been postponed because the internal examiner couldn't make it and she decided this 1 week before the scheduled date. That was very frustrating. The worst part is that still I don't know when its going to happen since the examiner doesn't know when she is gonna be available. One option could be to change the examiner - Did this happen to anyone else? If yes - how long did it take for the appointment of a new examiner?

many thanks

Cheryl

This is quite poor. Not only are you miffed about it, but surely the external (who has to probably travel some distance/plan the day) is also now inconvenienced. I am not at the viva stage myself, but my friend took over 1 year to sort out issues with getting examiners together as her supervisor was very slow. I can only advise that you communicate with your supervisor and urge him/her to get the internal examiner to arrange a date asap. If the examiner cannot commit to a date, then asking for a new examiner seems a very reasonable request.

Getting a new examiner is a whole new issue. I would try to avoid it. As the last poster said, try to get your director to chivvy things up.

Perhaps not the most helpful answer to your question but, if I were you, I would put in a formal complaint unless this person has a legitimate reason (I'm thinking bereavement or illness). You may also find that by rocking the boat a little it speeds up your rescheduled viva.

Good luck

A

======= Date Modified 13 Oct 2008 19:06:44 =======

I second what A116 said. This internal's behaviour is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE. I think it is a very unfortunate situation for you because a formal complaint is the only way forward (because the internal should be punished for this behaviour which is simply unacceptable - I hope she will face repercussions for her future career and the boss of your faculty gets informed about this) but at the same time it is very late to get a new examiner (as you've probably already sent out your thesis to both internal and external?).



On top of that, the emotional turmoil pre-Viva. Hard to bear. If I heard that the viva was cancelled one week before the actual date I would get really angry, depressed and sad. The psychological pressure builds up before the viva and to hear news like this is just too much to handle. Therefore I wish you the strength to go through these difficult times. Don't expect family and friends to understand what you are going through, though, they wont.

It makes me so angry to hear a story like this. This internal examiner takes herself so serious to screw up a viva date???? It is unbeliable(down)

Thank you very much for your emails! You are right I would probably have to formally complaint
otherwise. .....Hopefully everything will be over soon!!!! This PHD........

Perhaps you should find out the reason for the cancellation, before you make a formal complaint. It may have been something completely unavoidable, like the examiner has ended up in hospital or something completely beyond anyone's control and that could never have been predicted.

If you find out why it got cancelled, you can take it from there, as that will also impact on when you can reschedule it and if you need a different examiner. ie if she's hooked up to a life support machuine in ITU, it obviously won't be happening next week, so maybe you'd either need another examiner, or stick with her after an appropriate time period. Also maybe think about when *you'd* like it to be rescheduled, as presumably you should have a say in this, as you've been inconvenienced.

Hope it gets sorted out soon anyway, I can't imagine how much extra stress it must be causing you. Good luck!! (up)