Being at that point in time entering the final year of my PhD, I’d just like to say something… no I don’t know what I’ll do after, so stop asking “what’s next?”. I have absolutely no idea what’s next and for someone used to have their life planned out in advance, it is a massive source of stress. And that big “afterwards” is not the only source of stress we have to deal with (would be too easy if it was…).
I need to worry about getting my research done (designing studies in order to answer a theoretical question, with more or less practical implications for the real world...), making sure the experiments work and that I have enough participants in each studies. Then, I need to get my research out there, published into peer-reviewed journals (those are journals where researchers published their findings based on the relevance of the said findings to the scope of a specific journal; after a couple of other researchers in the same field have expressed their concerns and critics about one’s work, then and only then can a paper be published... because no one ever get praise for carrying research and putting the effort into producing a paper). Once the publication process is on its way, I’ll have to worry about compiling all the studies (in my case, 4 to 5 related but yet individual piece of research) conducted in those 4 years into a *comprehensive yet very scientific and expert-only oriented* thesis. Oh, and then come the viva. The light at the end of the tunnel… The last thing standing between us and our oh-so-hard-work Doctorate degree.
The viva is the final examination of a PhD research in the U.K. Other degrees and other countries might adopt different formats, like public defences or presentations open to the general public and even journalists sometimes. But not in the U.K.; here things are done in camera – the PhD candidate and the examiners (one internal to their university and one external, from another university and usually the main expert) are alone in a closed room for the time of the examination. Everybody gets slightly anxious about this – even the most chilled person gets just a little bit nervous about being “locked” in a room and having your work scrutinised by strangers. What are they going to ask? How long is it going to take? Am I going to be able to answer their questions? Yes, I know, I have been working on this for the last 3 years (at least), and yes I am the expert on my subject – but let’s face it, that doesn’t remove the stress from the situation.
What do our already-awarded-PhD-peers have to say about it? Chatting with previous PhD students, I gathered some sound advices. It’s not ground-breaking but, eh, still worth reading through I’d say.
First thing first, once you’ve handed the thesis in, you want to take couple of days off. Just let it sink in – you have submitted your thesis. Sleep, go for a haircut, do nothing all day and don’t feel guilty about it because… well because you’ve just finished what you had to do for the past 3+ years! Once that’s done, when you viva is couple of months away, it’s time to pick the thesis up again… and do some (academic) stalking. You will want to research your external examiner: who is it? What are they working on? What are they peculiar about? Then, you need to update your literature – what is new in research-land since you’ve submitted? Then.. you have to read your thesis. You have to read like never before, with a fresh set of eyes and a new perspective. You need to know it inside-out, remind yourself of the link connecting all the chapters (the red line of sort), and remember you are the expert in that field.
Second, on the D day (or should I say the V day), keep it together… at least in appearances. You can get in that room with whatever material you want: your thesis (plastered with post-it notes), pen and paper to take notes, key-cards… whatever you could find helpful to help you out during the presentation. Also, remember it is alright to have typos in your thesis; if you noticed them before the viva, make a list of all the ones you found and let the examiners know that you noticed them too. Overall, I think the main advice is to keep it cool – you are not expected to have an answer to every questions. You can have an opinion (that could differ from your examiners’) or even acknowledge that you’d like to think about it and get back to them. You can even rephrase questions to make sure you got where they were going or in a way you feel more comfortable answering. And it’s ok to stop, take a deep breath and start again if you feel like you’re flustered.
Finally, and that might be the hardest for me, try not to be too defensive. A successful viva is a discussion, an exchange of ideas, not a tribunal. The examiners are here to assess your ability to conduct research but also to have a critical mindset. No research is perfect; know the weaknesses of your PhD and be ready to explain why you did things the way you did them. Now, whatever you are saying, whether you know the answer or not, people, you need to be intelligible! You don’t want your examiners to struggle to understand what you are saying.
Most post-PhD students I talked to enjoyed the experience of the viva. And all of them were surprised by how quick it all went by. Don’t get me wrong - nobody wants it to drag on forever, that’s for sure, but come on! I have dedicated 3 years (or more) to this! I gave birth to that thing, almost literally. And within 3hrs, those people got everything they needed to understand the depth of my work and the complexity and the pain of my journey? Hats off! I’ll certainly need more time to get over it…
Being at that point in time entering the final year of my PhD, I’d just like to say something… it is hard, it is not a linear process, and you will doubt every step you’re taking. However, if you are lucky enough to have a good supervisory team, it is worth it. And remember: you are not alone in that boat.
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