I
remember thinking in the months before my viva, what questions would be asked
by my examiners and how best to prepare for this monumental event. Who would be there, how long would the viva
take, where would I need to go and what should I wear for such an important discussion. The anxiety and apprehension only grew as the
time got closer to the big day.
Three
months to go
My
preparation, that evolved from the day I submitted my thesis to the examination
office at the University some three months prior to the event, to the hour
before my exam was based on a number of sources of information. In part it was based on advice from my
supervisor, talking with other people who had recently survived their viva and
reading one of the many books that provided a generic overview of how to deal
with the oral exam.
The
initial advice led me to attend a viva workshop that consisted of a group of
want-to-be PhD survivors and a panel of people who were recently examined. The workshop offered an understanding of
individual experiences but was practically helpful coming from within the
faculty were I was a student. In my case
this meant one internal and one external examiners, a break for the examiners
to deliberate the outcome and time for feedback at the end.
Other
viva preparation consisted of a list of predicted questions. Although I knew my thesis inside-out, these
questions helped me condense my thoughts ready to expand on them if they came
up in the exam. I also used these
questions as a way to practice verbalising my responses. I found this practically helpful as it gave
me confidence to speak out and reminded me of some of the finer details. My questions that evolved over the three months
for the exam consisted of the following:
1) What is your thesis?
2) Why did you decide on this project for
your thesis?
3) How did you go about reviewing the
literature?
4) The people included as participants in
your study from Chinese backgrounds are a small minority group, why do you
think it is important to study the way services work with them?
5) You describe crossing cultural
boundaries in your research. Can you
talk about what boundaries you think you crossed and those crossed by
participants? How important is this
process?
6) What methodological approaches did you
consider in developing your research? What made you decide on ethnography?
7) How did you manage language
difficulties in the literature and in the field?
8) How dependent were you on key
informants and interpreters? Can you say more about the role of each of these
groups in the research?
9) What did you do in each organisation
during your fieldwork? How was it
different in each service?
10) How did you use reflexivity in your
research?
11) What do you see as the strengths and
weaknesses?
12) What were the main findings?
13) What are the implications of your study in
terms of current views in the UK about multiculturalism?
14) What contribution have you made to
knowledge?
15) What is original about your work?
Four
weeks to go
It was
about four weeks before my viva that I took the opportunity to attend a mock
viva. This was setup like a real viva
and was organised be my supervisor and one of her colleagues. However, after I had answered each question
they gave me feedback on my performance.
Although this was slightly odd, taking timeout to be critical about my
performance and answers was a very useful exercise. If nothing else, the mock viva taught me to
express my enthusiasm for my subject while giving my answers and to use body
language such as hand gestures and giving eye contact.
One
week to go
In the
following week I practiced my questions.
I would walk around the house first reading from my note book and then
by memory. I stood in front of the
mirror, stood in the garden, walked around the living room while vocalising my
answers. I know that for some people
this may not work or be necessary but it worked for me although at times I did
think it was a little too rehearsed. About
this time I made arrangements to stay overnight at my supervisor’s house (as I
lived two hours away from the University by train) and buy my train ticket to
Bristol. I also decided what clothes I
was going to wear and made sure they were washed and ironed. A copy of my thesis, pens and notebook were
ready in my bag. Perhaps a little over
prepared but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance or to the last minute as
this would have created more stress that I didn’t want.
One day
to go
The day
before my viva I took it easy. I had
made sure I had gone to bed early the night before and had no alcohol as this
would be my treat after the big event. I
spend the morning going over my questions and the rest of the afternoon I
rested, listened to some music and packed my bags read for an evening train to
Bristol Temple Meads.
On the
Day
The
morning of the viva was spent in part lightly chatting with my supervisor about
what would happen in the exam. My
supervisor also attended the viva and we discussed her role which consisted of
making notes as appropriate. My viva was
at 2pm so the rest of the morning I spent walking in a local park near to the
University. This gave me ample time to
think about my answers (with no note book) while taking in lots of fresh air
and exercising as I walked up and down the many hills in Clifton. About two hours before my viva I met-up again
with my supervisor and we found the room where the exam took place. This was at my request because I wanted to
reduce any surprises and become familiar with where the event would take
place.
During
the viva
As I
walked into the room feeling nervous and stressed, I noticed that the examiners
had made an effort to reduce my anxiety.
On a white board was written, ‘Welcome to your viva’. They asked me to sit in a specific place and
pointed out that they had put a picture on the wall facing me which I think was
supposed to help me relax. I thought the
gesture was worth noting along with the Japanese snacks and jug of water that
was on the square table where we sat. My
supervisor sat at the back of the room.
The
opening question from my examiners surprised me, but on reflection was a very
good way to warm-up. They had written
down all the names of my participants onto separate coloured cards and spread
them all over the table. They asked me
to explain who these people were.
Straight after this question it was into theory, but what struck me was
that none of my predicted questions that I had practiced were asked
directly. This meant I had to think on
my feet. Some questions were easy,
others were challenging. After one and a
half hours the examiners mentioned the time and after two hours of questioning
and debate, I was told the exam had finished and my supervisor and I had to
leave the room until they called us back.
During
the half an hour interlude I had the best cup of tea imaginable. I was buzzing from the questioning and I
tried to piece together what the examiners might say on my return. I went back into the examination room and I
was congratulated on being successful and for producing such a readable thesis
that added to knowledge and the void in the literature. My examiners briefly went through the
amendments they wanted me to do and once again congratulated me on defending
such a good thesis.
After
the viva
On
reflection, the most stressful part of my viva was the time leading up to the
exam. During the discussion I had no
time to think about anything else other than answering the questions which my
examiners posed. The post viva celebratory
drink with my supervisor was a cereal time as it had not really sunk in that it
was over. Even on the train journey home
in the first class coach that I had booked as a treat for myself seemed a
strange anticlimax to such a traumatic day as I fell asleep with my headphones
firmly inserted into my ears. During the
following month I came to realise the implications of surviving the viva but
there will be no celebrations until the amendments are accepted and the degree
has been confirmed upon me.
