Viva

boarddotie · 06-05-2010 4:03pm

One week to go until my own Viva so thanks for this thread! I have been compiling a large (and scary) list of possible questions not from websites ot books but from people who have actually done theirs in the last few years. Can post soon if anyone is interested or PM me

Din Taylor · 07-06-2010 9:57pm

I spent four hours in mine.

It was supposed to start at 2 p.m. I went to the room five minutes early and was beginning to panic when nobody showed up by 2.15. I was about to leave and find out what was going on when my supervisor walked in. He said that he was eavesdropping on the examiners at lunch and they said I'd be alright as long as I gave a good showing of myself.

The two lads sauntered in at 2.30. It was a bit unnerving at they were all bunsiness-like and gave me no eye contact. This was despite the fact that I shared a bonga pipe with the external after a conference in Amsterdam and the internal tried it on with my girlfriend in front of me (this is another story altogether

).

Anyway determined to "give a good showing of myself" I waffled on and on after every question that they asked. It was 6.15 and I noticed the external looking at his watch (he wasn't staying the night and was getting the train home). He then told me to just wrap it up.

When I finished I asked if they wanted me to leave the room so they could make their decision. They said it was alright as they had already signed the relevant forms for a pass with minor corrections (27 typos). I probably could have gotten out of there after an hour

but was glad to ave passed all the same:). Brilliant feeling.

My advice to anyone with an upcoming viva is to relax. I firmly believe that a competent supervisor will not let you submit your thesis if it is inaequate. As long as you actually wrote the thesis you'll know it inside out and you should have nothing to worry about.

Yalla · 11-01-2011 6:16pm

Since this is a sticky, I figured I'd contribute my recent viva experience. Mine was over in a flash: a little over an hour.

It was supposed to start at 11:30, and my supervisor and I didn't enter the room until 11:45 or 11:50. It was a private viva, and so it was just me, my supervisor, the chair, and the internal and external examiners. The chair gave brief introductions and an overview of the viva process. Then I gave a 5 minute synopsis of the thesis. The external began with comments and questions first.

Though my supervisor prepared me with a short 'mock viva' a week before, the questions that came up in the viva were different than I expected. However, the examiners set a very conversational tone, and were eager to reassure me that they were pleased with what I had submitted. I didn't waffle, and where there were questions that went a bit outside the scope of my thesis (e.g. discussing the theory of a somewhat related academic but not the focus of this study), I repeated their question, then my thesis purpose, and stated that it was outside the scope of what I was attempting to do (See the book 'How to Survive the Viva' for great practice for this!). All in all, while I was nervous, I felt that I was given ample time and space for answers and explanations.

My supervisor and I left the room for the examiners to have a discussion. We walked down to the kitchen and made some tea and by the time it was ready, the chair called us back up. The external examiner announced that I passed without any revisions necessary and the two examiners filled out a unified document for the college and let me know that they'd leave their copies of my thesis to collect (for feedback, suggestions for the future etc). The champagne was brought out and everyone in the department joined in a congratulatory drink by 1:30! (First time I checked my watch, so I'm not certain when the viva itself wrapped up!) After this, the entire committee was brought out to lunch. It seemed so fast and was such a whirlwind - I guess I anticipated much more drama or uncertainty. My internal examiner later emailed me the 9 typos that I should correct before submitting the thesis in hard copy. Since the viva took place the week of Christmas (really!) I have had the Christmas break off to relax, look at things at my leisure, and wait for any official college paperwork in the meantime.

It went a lot better than I imagined, and finally understand why so many people enjoy the viva. As has been said, your supervisor should not allow you to get to this stage without the full expectation that you will pass. Revision and preparation is key!

Moojuice · 19-01-2011 12:07pm

Have my viva on Friday, bricking it but read through my thesis and I am impressed with it as I haven't gone near it in a a good few months! I am confident in my work but still nervous about it. Got my 20 minute Prezi presentation ready to rock! I'l post and let people know how it goes.

catho_monster · 19-01-2011 12:29pm

Just getting myself sorted for my viva too.

This list of typos that people bring in - should it be a list of typos, and what they should be, or just a list of them as they currently are, in their wrong form?

Moojuice · 28-01-2011 4:21pm

So I passed. 3 hrs, intense questions. External was tough but fair. Actually enjoyed it as it was a great discussion about my work. Also learned a lot which is the main thing. Minor corrections but getting through them at a decent pace. If you know your stuff, which you will, you will do fine.

convert · 28-01-2011 6:44pm

Congratulations Dr Moojuice!

Have my viva coming up in the next while, so trying to get myself sorted out in advance so I won't have any last minute panics.

Red Alert · 09-03-2011 9:50pm

Passed mine this morning - 3 and a half hours. Waiting to get corrections list tomorrow.

El Siglo · 10-03-2011 12:04am

Congratulations Red! Well done, you must be delighted!

djpbarry · 10-03-2011 10:27am

Red Alert wrote: »

Passed mine this morning - 3 and a half hours. Waiting to get corrections list tomorrow.

I for one welcome our new post-doctoral overlord.

Congratulations.

convert · 10-03-2011 7:13pm

Red Alert wrote: »

Passed mine this morning - 3 and a half hours. Waiting to get corrections list tomorrow.

You must be thrilled, Dr Red Alert. Well done!
Still waiting for mine

Red Alert · 11-03-2011 11:05pm

Was pretty nerve wracking actually! So glad I'm not doing that again

woodchuck · 29-03-2011 11:30pm

I have mine in a week, so getting nervous! Glad I found this sticky though, some good advice, thanks

I did a rehearsal of my viva presentation for my department yesterday and it went well, lots of positive feedback, but I still have some concerns if anyone has got some more advice!

1) I haven't published any of my data yet (putting papers together atm). So the fact that none of it is peer reviewed, does that mean they examiners will go harder on me?

2) It's up to me whether or not my supervisor is present during the viva... what are peoples thoughts on this? I'm leaning towards not having her there... I think it would just make me more nervous/self conscious. But how do I say that to her?

3) Any additional things I should bring with me? (I've noted the obvious; thesis, water, painkillers, my laptop with the presentation and laser pointer, tissues). What about the most relevant papers published in the area or is it enough just to be familiar with them and to be able to discuss them? Is a notebook necessary?

4) What to wear!? I know to dress smart, but I'm really not comfortable in shirts/blouses (large chested... results in gaping holes between buttons no matter what I try...). Is a 'nice' top ok or would it make a really bad first impression if I'm not wearing a shirt?

boarddotie · 30-03-2011 4:46am

woodchuck wrote: »

I have mine in a week, so getting nervous! Glad I found this sticky though, some good advice, thanks

I did a rehearsal of my viva presentation for my department yesterday and it went well, lots of positive feedback, but I still have some concerns if anyone has got some more advice!

1) I haven't published any of my data yet (putting papers together atm). So the fact that none of it is peer reviewed, does that mean they examiners will go harder on me?

2) It's up to me whether or not my supervisor is present during the viva... what are peoples thoughts on this? I'm leaning towards not having her there... I think it would just make me more nervous/self conscious. But how do I say that to her?

3) Any additional things I should bring with me? (I've noted the obvious; thesis, water, painkillers, my laptop with the presentation and laser pointer, tissues). What about the most relevant papers published in the area or is it enough just to be familiar with them and to be able to discuss them? Is a notebook necessary?

4) What to wear!? I know to dress smart, but I'm really not comfortable in shirts/blouses (large chested... results in gaping holes between buttons no matter what I try...). Is a 'nice' top ok or would it make a really bad first impression if I'm not wearing a shirt?

None of my work had been published when I did my Viva. The examiners didnt seem to care as it was very novel work for my Dept and knew that much of my time was spent setting up protocols etc rather than walking straight into a set-up project. I wouldnt worry, I dont think they will go harder on you-they just wont be as soft as if you had them all published! Once you can tell them a publication strategy and give them an idea of the journals you hope to target that should satisfy them!

I am not sure about the supervisor present thing. You might want to as the chair and the chair can then ask the super if she wouldnt mind staying away.

I wouldnt bother bringing the relevant papers, but make sure you know they key papers and jot a few key points/stats you might have to recall on a sheet. I think someone at the evry start of this thread suggested putting little coloured stickers in between each chapter so if they ask you to go to the Methods section you can find it easily. Also if there is a figure or something you feel they will defo ask you about, put a sticky marker on that too so you are not flicking through pages and pages searching. Notebook is a good idea to jot down points that the examiners bring up that you might need to focus on. The good thing about having your Supervisor there is that you can ask her to jot down these points and you can just listen.

I would suggest being as formal as possible for this. I would be the same as you OP and actually hate shirts/blouses. I wore a dress from H+M, really modest with a little suit jacket and heels. They have some nice, simple work type dresses (with pretty high necklines) if that would work.

Oooh best of luck!!!:pac:

woodchuck · 30-03-2011 12:10pm

Thanks a million boarddotie

I’m not sure who my chair is yet (sometimes they’re only picked at the last minute where I am!) but I have a meeting with my supervisor tomorrow and I suspect she’ll ask me if I want her to be there then. She had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I should start thinking about it, so I’d be surprised if she doesn’t bring it up again. She also said she wouldn’t be offended if said I didn’t want her there... I suppose I’m just bad at saying it in a politically correct manner :P

Basically I’d be afraid if I’m asked something that I’m not too sure on and I start bull$hitting an answer, I don’t want her to be sitting in the corner cringing :P Also we’ve had some minor disagreements about what the overall implications of the results are... nothing major, more a difference of opinion, but I want to be free to express my own opinions/ideas in the viva with worrying about what she thinks about what I’m saying.

I think the only advantage to having her there would be to take notes for me... but for the corrections am I expected to take note of them there and then or would they give me a written/electronic list of them anyway?

djpbarry · 30-03-2011 12:53pm

woodchuck wrote: »

I think the only advantage to having her there would be to take notes for me... but for the corrections am I expected to take note of them there and then or would they give me a written/electronic list of them anyway?

I would expect the examiners will provide you with a list. If that's the only reason you want your supervisor there, then I would certainly suggest you ask them to stay away.

As for your other questions, all I brought into my viva was a copy of my thesis that I had trawled through myself to identify any typos or potential short-comings. If you know your thesis inside-out, you’ll be fine. Regarding what to wear, I wouldn’t worry about it too much – you want to look smart, but you also want to be comfortable.

woodchuck · 30-03-2011 1:12pm

Thanks jdpbarry

Yeah I think I'll have to just ask her to stay away... will just say that having her there would make me more nervous or something

I'm sure she won't mind, I just don't want to offend her! We get along fairly well and I think she'd prefer to be there because I'm her first student and I think she'd want to hear their opinions on the work (for the likes of grant applications and where to go next)... but I suppose at the end of the day it's my viva and I want to be as comfortable as I can

And my thesis currently looks like the place where post-its come to die :P So hoping I've enough notes etc to address any questions/jog my memory!

catho_monster · 30-03-2011 1:45pm

Just my 2cents, with a kind of contrasting opinion to djpbarry...

My supervisor didn't sit in on my viva, but in retrospect I kind of wish that he had.

The list of corrections that I got, I found myself trying to explain to my supervisor how that point had come around, why they said xyz, the perspective and reasoning behind different points in the report. At this point (in the middle of doing those corrections) I would really appreciate it if he was able to read between the lines of the report the same way I can. I know I shouldn't necessarily need my supervisor involved at this point, but I like his input...

Also, don't worry one bit about the thoughts that you might be bullsh1itting it when they ask you questions. You need to realise that YOU are the expert in this area, the area that your thesis covers. If they ask you a question out of left-field that you haven't thought of before, acknowledge that you haven't thought of it before, process it in your head and then give them some impressions on it. This isn't bull, this is you making educated, learned, experienced, expert conclusions on their question. It may feel wierd to think of yourself in that way, especially as you sit there trying to justify your work, but thats exactly the point. Believe in your work and in all the information you have in your head that didn't make it into the final text. If you do that, you'll kick viva ass.

djpbarry · 30-03-2011 2:55pm

catho_monster wrote: »

If they ask you a question out of left-field that you haven't thought of before, acknowledge that you haven't thought of it before, process it in your head and then give them some impressions on it. This isn't bull, this is you making educated, learned, experienced, expert conclusions on their question.

I would also add that it’s perfectly acceptable to admit you don’t know the answer to a question – you can’t be expected to be an expert on everything. That said, simply stating “I don’t know” and leaving it at that probably wouldn’t be a good idea! Remember that if you take control of the discussion, you can steer it toward topics you’re more comfortable discussing.

woodchuck · 06-04-2011 9:18pm

Yay, I passed

(pending minor corrections, but all doable)

Thanks for all the advice guys! I ended up having my supervisor at the viva. She really REALLY wanted to be there and I kept changing my mind. I knew she'd want me to repeat every single thing that was said in there so I figured it would just be easier to have her there in the end. Luckily the chairperson made it clear that she couldn't participate in any way though! It was also good to have her there to keep me company when I was waiting outside while they made their final decision. And now that I'm doing the corrections I know I can go to her for advice if I need it since she knows the type of things they're looking for as well as I do (that was good advice, thanks catho_monster!).

And I ended up doing a bit of panic shopping one of the days and got a nice jacket and top to wear (just matched it up with some black trousers and boots I already had).

Overall I'm very happy with how it went. My internal examiner even invited me to give my presentation to his department next week :pac:

stinkle · 10-02-2012 2:48pm

Hello!

found this thread really helpful when I was writing up/preparing for the viva. My viva was at the start of the year and I'm happy to say I've passed

I actually didn't have a whole lot of prep time, which was a bit scary but my advice to others since then has been "you know your work inside out, just focus on that and don't worry about swotting too much on unrelated things".
I think it was on this forum that people said they studied for about a week beforehand. I agree completely.

Although to contradict that a teeny bit, it does help to be REASONABLY familiar with the examiners' work, purely to get a handle on where their questions might be coming from. I really only had time to have a quick glance through a few papers, no need to cram loads of info in.

In the end it really was just a chat, and the time flew by. It was a bit of an anti-climax in that there was no major "defence", as the examiners just asked clarification questions and seemed happy with my answers. The celebrations were definitely not an anti-climax though!

Thank to all the previous posters on here, I read the thread a few times over the past while and it helped a lot

woodchuck · 11-02-2012 1:30am

Congrats stinkle

I think you're right; about two weeks would be plenty of time to prepare, but I've known people who've only had a week and they got on fine too. I had two months and it felt way too long

Had my copy of the thesis covered in postits and didn't even need to refer to any of them in the viva! On the upside I felt really prepared... but it retrospect it was a bit of a waste of time :P

dastardly00 · 13-01-2013 9:33pm

Just after reading through this thread, there are some nice helpful posts

I have my viva is just under 2 weeks time, the butterflies are flying around my stomach already

I've my presentation almost completed. I still have to practice it, but I have presented most of it before at a few conferences. I'm in the middle of reading through my thesis, and I'll be starting to plan out answers to possible questions in the next couple of days.

sullivlo · 01-12-2013 4:51pm

I wish I had read this thread before my viva

However all the prep I did paid off and about a month ago I became a Dr.

The viva itself was great. We have a public talk and a private viva, which was perfect for me as I don't mind presenting in front of people at all, but I was glad I was able to answer the questions without an audience as it meant I could give my opinions rather than the opinions of my supervisors.

Overall I had one page of minor corrections with one paragraph to be sent to the extern for review (it was a fairly specific topic that the intern wasn't happy to say yes or no to adequate corrections being made) so I'm taking the time to re-do all of my graphs and make them pretty (rather than the rush job copy-and-paste from publications that I did :O ) and starting (continuing) the arduous task of job seeking.

No pressure :P

Overall though it was an amazing experience. I will never forget a few bits of it though!

1) I wasn't asked the "so tell us about your project in one sentence / paragraph" question, we were straight into it.
2) 10 mins in I had a fair idea it would go well.
3) 3 hours 10 minutes after I went into the room I was asked to step outside and I had the best pee of my life.
4) THE LONGEST WAIT EVER until I was called back in.
5) The most awkward conversation after the whole "congratulations" part when they kept asking me about my future / further publications / opinions on the field: I just wanted to get out of the room and tell everyone.

mickstupp · 13-01-2014 2:27pm

Maybe you guys have seen this... I came across this podcast from a guy interviewing people about their vivas: http://viva-survivors.com/. Listened to a few and thought they were interesting. The production isn't great, but it's good to hear the stories.

893bet · 14-03-2014 10:54am

The choice of your examiners is more important than the viva itself IMO.

Be aware of your examiners strengths and weakness and prepare accordingly e.g. if many of their published works are extremely quantitative in nature then you can assume their statistical analysis is very strong and if there is a weakness in your thesis in this area then they will notice it and focus on it.

El Siglo · 25-04-2014 5:58pm

Have my viva in two weeks time. Absolutely bricking it. Have read over the thesis, highlighted some key points, made some notes, and that's it. Not sure what else to do apart from depress myself over the number of typos and grammatical errors. It's on early in the morning and it can't go on for too long as the external has to fly out. Doesn't help that I've an undergrad fieldtrip next week and get back the day before the viva.

dastardly00 · 26-04-2014 9:40pm

El Siglo wrote: »

Have my viva in two weeks time. Absolutely bricking it. Have read over the thesis, highlighted some key points, made some notes, and that's it. Not sure what else to do apart from depress myself over the number of typos and grammatical errors. It's on early in the morning and it can't go on for too long as the external has to fly out. Doesn't help that I've an undergrad fieldtrip next week and get back the day before the viva.

Don't worry yourself about the typos and grammatical errors. I was so tight with making a fees deadline when I was submitting my thesis, that I didn't even read through it to check for typos and errors!!

Do you have your presentation sorted and rehearsed? (if you have to do one that is?)
For my viva, myself and my supervisor came up with questions that we thought the examiners would ask (and then prepared answers for those questions).
Also, have you read through some of your external examiner's articles that relate to your topic. It's important that you have a good depth of knowledge about their research.

djpbarry · 26-04-2014 10:18pm

El Siglo wrote: »

Have my viva in two weeks time. Absolutely bricking it. Have read over the thesis, highlighted some key points, made some notes, and that's it. Not sure what else to do apart from depress myself over the number of typos and grammatical errors.

Better for you to be aware of the typos going into the viva than to have the examiners bring them to your attention. Take the list of known corrections into the viva with you.

El Siglo wrote: »

Doesn't help that I've an undergrad fieldtrip next week and get back the day before the viva.

That's certainly less than ideal - I'd try and get out of it if I were you. Some would argue that it might be good to take your mind off things for a bit - I might agree with them if you got back a little earlier than the day before the viva.

El Siglo · 27-04-2014 12:38am

dastardly00 wrote: »

Do you have your presentation sorted and rehearsed? (if you have to do one that is?)

No, but I was going to throw together four slides just to summarise the key findings of the work (even just as a handout really in the form of bullet points), more of an 'executive summary' type of thing. But we're not required to do one though.

For my viva, myself and my supervisor came up with questions that we thought the examiners would ask (and then prepared answers for those questions).

I've noted a few key questions that might come up, the supervisor is a lot like the examiner (same generation, same research background etc...) so his comments when correcting the thesis came in handy in terms of clarifying methods etc... I've got some generic questions noted so hopefully they'll come up!

Also, have you read through some of your external examiner's articles that relate to your topic. It's important that you have a good depth of knowledge about their research.

Yeh, I've gone through some of his articles but we're slightly divergent in our focus. He's more 'big picture' and I've gone into detail (about 600 pages of detail), but in saying that he's seen my work so he's got some ideas, I'll try and relate them back to his work (e.g. "I see x and y these might relate to z in your work on...").

Thanks for the advise man, really appreciate it.

djpbarry wrote: »

Better for you to be aware of the typos going into the viva than to have the examiners bring them to your attention. Take the list of known corrections into the viva with you.

Brilliant, I'll definitely do that one alright.

That's certainly less than ideal - I'd try and get out of it if I were you. Some would argue that it might be good to take your mind off things for a bit - I might agree with them if you got back a little earlier than the day before the viva.

Well my internal examiner is leading the fieldtrip so that might be worse if I pulled out with it being three days away. It's the timing of everything, found out I was going about six months ago; found out about my viva about a month ago. May just bring the beast with me and see what I can get done.

Thanks again for the advise, really appreciate it. Not sure what to think at the moment, it's just a really unnatural thing to prepare for in a way. Sure, we'll see how it goes!

Thanks folks! :pac:

Viva

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