I just want to see who is queuing with me in the line of death (viva). I am due to have my viva end of March!

======= Date Modified 09 Feb 2010 12:30:38 =======
I'll be submitting (all going well) tomorrow, and would normally have the viva within 6 weeks. Eek!

I cracked open my viva preparation book last night before bed. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be ;-)

Well done and congrats on the submission!
whatis the name of ur prepration book?
I m not using any books, just past experiences of friends and information from the internet.

Sometimes I feel the viva is not as scary as one thinks and sometimes I feel like I am underestimating it and it will be a hell of scary thing :-(

It's "The Doctoral Examination Process" by Tinkler and Jackson. I'm finding it very good for demystifying things, and highlighting core issues/themes I want to be prepared for.

I'm a part-time student, based away from campus, so can't rely on others' viva experience much. Well apart from my husband that is :-x

Good luck and hope to hear the good news after five weeks ;)

How's the preparation getting on Jateet? I've just heard who my internal + chairperson will be, which makes things seem that much more tangible. No firm viva date yet, but because all the examiners have now been appointed it's just a matter of fixing up a when next.

I've been taking a little break since submitting my thesis last week, but plan to resume gentle viva preparation (reading the book I recommended) this week. I'm also planning to meet my sup for an informal chat about what to expect in the viva. And I'll be thinking about general issues that might be raised by the examiners, though I can't prepare by tackling a long list of potential viva questions due to severe memory problems.

I will be facing the 'joy' of my re-viva in the next couple of months. I'm not looking forward to it :-(

Well I m not feeling i am doing a lot of preparations
much of it is mentally. i mean i think of on my head without jotting down any notes which my sup recommended for me as these ideas might be discussed by the examiners.
I am being a bit lazy. I should have started reading my thesis and preparing a lit of corrections, then i will prepare cards with answers to all the generic questions that my sup gave me. If times allows, I will go and refresh my memory about key articles, reading my external publications. After that my sup will do a mock viva for me one or two days before the real thing and I think that's it!

I've just been going through my viva preparation book for the first time in several days (have had a little break since submission), sticking post-it notes in on the pages describing activities which I particularly need to focus on.

These include big things like larger issues/questions that the examiners will be looking for, and I need to be ready for. Then there's the obvious rereading of the thesis, to refamiliarise yourself with both content and layout. The book recommends doing that just a couple of weeks before the viva, so the thesis is fresh in your mind at the time of the viva. I don't have a viva date yet, but would plan to start rereading at least 3 weeks before the viva because I'm a very slow reader now and can only work for a very short time each day. I plan on sticking post-it notes in my copy of the thesis, to identify the different sections quickly, should I need to flick to them in the viva.

There are other things recommended in the viva book, like thinking about things I'd do differently and questions to mention the examiners. It's good to start thinking about this properly.

Thanx dear
I have been through this. i submitted and did not my examiners till one month and so later and then a few days a viva date was appointed. I am planning exactly what you suggested exactly (up). I want to familiarize myself with the viva generic questions but I feel I should read my thesis first so my answers to the generic questions can be precise !
I donot know yet which one to do first.. rereading or generic questions!:$

Reread first, then you'll be best prepared to answer the generic questions?

Well that's what I'd need to do anyway, to refamiliarise myself with the thesis.

yeah that's what i was thinking !

Thanx Bilbo 8-)

For my (1st) viva I re-read and at the end of each chapter produced a page long list of bullet points on key debates / hypotheses etc. It really helped me to remember the structure, flow and key points of each chapter. I'd recommend it.

Angel
thanks this is what i am doing now.
wish u the best of luck in ur viva


My current problem is that i can't get my used-to-be strong sixth sense to work. I rely heavily on it in exam situations. I always imagine what would happen and it usually goes like what I pictured it to be. BUT now i can't really feel it is going to happen. It is like it will never happen which makes me so hopeless :(

If you want help to imagine what will happen perhaps you should have a mock viva? Your supervisor should be able to arrange this with you. Viva preparation books also demystify the process. I'm finding Tinkler and Jackson's book particularly good for this, letting me know what to expect. Of course every viva is different, and can't be predicted totally in advance. But you can get a pretty good idea.