Viva Date Confirmed
Well guys, this is it... I have officially transgressed into flap-mode. Just a few hours ago, my viva date was confirmed as Wednesday July 26th, at 2pm. I will make my way up to Belgium tomorrow to commence a week of hard graft study and nervousness, after which I shall haul ass to the UK to face the inquistion squad.
I have funny tales to recount about the Vienna/Bratislava endeavour and shall of course divulge them when the need for procrastination deems fit to break through the sense of duty.
In the meantime, wish me luck with the epic trek home tomorrow, as I am once again ill and shall be caged into a sweltering lil car in the heatwave for ten whole gruelling hours.
Labels: PhD Faff
posted by Dr.Pew @ 6:25 pm
3 comments
3 Comments:
Goooooooood Luccccccccck
:)
Good luck!
I'm going to let you into a little secret. Shhh, keep it quiet.
Enjoy it! You will be locked in a room with two examiners, who WANT to hear about your project! Seriously. It's nerve-wracking, for sure, but it's also actually quite fun! Mine lasted 4 1/2 hours, and was almost enjoyable toward the end. We had a joke or three about some of the papers that I cited (lets just say that a key paper cited in my thesis clearly picked it's best data). Also, remember that what is said in the viva STAYS IN THE VIVA. If they ask why you did something, and the reason was "the boss told me to", this can be a legitimate answer. They know that it can be hard to fight your corner against Professor BigWig. As long as you don't become all whiny and can speculate what may have happened if you took a different route, that's OK.
Remember, if every experiment worked it wouldn't be science. Be open and honest. And remember, it is their job to push you as far as you can go. And they will. At some point, you will be forced to answer, I'm sorry I don't know. By all means speculate, but make it known that you are speculating. Don't bullshit because you feel pressured. They will push until you reach your limits, then promptly change the subject and are probably at least as interested in how you answer as what you say.
Trust me, in months to come you WILL look back on the experience positively. And remember, EVERYONE goes through a viva. It is a milestone for sure, but it is not a pinnacle. As a friend of my father once told me "Remember, at the end of the day, it's only a PhD viva".
Cheers for the advise mate! It's all made me feel a whole lot calmer. Although, the "4 1/2 hours" part nearly gave me a heart attack. If it weren't for the fact that I KNOW my viva starts at 2pm and that my external has to catch a train at 6.30pm I would actually PANIC at the prospect of 4 1/2 hours of discussing my thesis. Thank god for rigid train shedules ;)
Hope you're having a good time in Canada meanwhile.
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