All done. 1hr 40m of very nice intelligent discussion about my work. Just a list of typos to do (could do them in an evening). If I get it back to them next week I can graduate in December!
Started Sep 2007
Submitted Oct 2010
Viva Nov 2010
Graduate Dec 2010
Couldn't have gone better :)
I've been a lurker here since the beginning. haven't posted that much, but got some good advice, so thanks to all. Am happy to answer any questions about the viva in return!
Preparation: fairly minimal (lack of time). Although did re-read thesis thoroughly, thought about answers to usual questions like contribution, what would you do differently, any weaknesses, why choose topic etc.
Went in, external said she really enjoyed reading it, and it was a very good thesis. I didn't mention my huge list of typos I'd found.
Some general questions from both about why I chose the topic.
Then about an hour and 20 mins of discussion about my work. Imagine you get stuck in a room with two people who happen to have read your thesis, are genuinely interested, and simply want to know more about your work. That was it exactly. There were a few methodological questions like why did you choose to do x this way and not this way? And a couple of times I had to say 'actually, there is no reason, the other way would have been better come to think of it'. We had a really nice discussion about one result which was unexpected but interesting, and we literally just brainstormed the problem until we came up with a possible answer (which I am now going to test).
The issue of typos came up, and I said I'd found a lot, but I didn't actually hand them my list or anything.
At the end, it was obvious it had gone well, but I had to actually ask what the result was. I said 'so, does this mean it's minor corrections' and the external just said 'oh yes, just correct these typos, it's an excellent thesis'.
Then they asked if I had any questions, and I asked about publications, so we discussed suitable strategies for 20 mins.
It simply could not have been better. I only say this because nobody knows what it's going to be like, it's impossible. And if you search online, you only tend to find the horror stories.
Thanks for the story Barnaby, almost like being there. Very well done again.
Could I ask about your literature review, did they query who you'd included, excluded etc ? did they challenge your presentation of others' work ? I only ask because I'm currently looking at my literature review before ( hopefully) submitting in a few weeks - sup timing permitting - and I feel my literature review is the least "interesting" bit of my thesis.
I wonder if you should feel like that ? I think my bit is much more interesting ( :p )
What do you guys think ? Did you / do you feel like that ? Chuff
@Sheena - Linguistics. Ours are usually between 3 and 4 from what I can gather, but depends on the area. I must admit, for my kind of research, 3 years is pretty speedy :)
@Chuff - not really. I had a large lit review cos I was combining 3 distinct areas in my research. A couple of general questions on it (more of a comparison between my findings and someone else's) but nothing too specific.
PostgraduateForum Is a trading name of FindAUniversity Ltd
FindAUniversity Ltd, 77 Sidney St, Sheffield, S1 4RG, UK. Tel +44 (0) 114 268 4940 Fax: +44 (0) 114 268 5766
An active and supportive community.
Support and advice from your peers.
Your postgraduate questions answered.
Use your experience to help others.
Enter your email address below to get started with your forum account
Enter your username below to login to your account
An email has been sent to your email account along with instructions on how to reset your password. If you do not recieve your email, or have any futher problems accessing your account, then please contact our customer support.
or continue as guest
To ensure all features on our website work properly, your computer, tablet or mobile needs to accept cookies. Our cookies don’t store your personal information, but provide us with anonymous information about use of the website and help us recognise you so we can offer you services more relevant to you. For more information please read our privacy policy
Agree Agree