Apologies for being so quiet recently on both instagram and blog posts, but I was writing and preparing for my MPhil-to-PhD transfer! Here in the UK this consists of writing a report of your work to date, and sitting a viva (verbal examination) with two internal examiners. I was petrified for mine, and it was tough if I'm honest, so I thought I would put together some tips for those approaching theirs....
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Now, this is RICH coming from me, but the main thing I learned, was I actually knew more than I thought. One thing that could have held me back was lack of confidence in myself and my own abilities. You've got to remember that it's your project, and you've been absorbed in it for the past year! Believe that you can do it, and you're likely to do better than you think.
PREPARE. Now this might seem like an obvious one, but make sure you do some reading around your project, and your examiners. This doesn't need to be really excessive, but it's likely to go better if you have the confidence to talk around the subject area. I know the report may seem laborious, but it's also worth putting the time into it - the better it is, hopefully the less your examiners will have to ask!
TALK TO OTHERS. I know this is a scary one, but talk to other people about their experiences (good and bad), and what they learned. Get those in your lab group to ask questions (again, scary - but it's better to not know beforehand than during the viva) and even ask for a mock viva with your supervisors. The more exposure you have, the more likely it is to go smoothly.
TAKE YOUR TIME. Both before when writing the report and during the actual viva... When you're in there, don't panic if you don't know something - just try and let yourself think about what the examiner is asking and don't rush to give a response! This will help keep you calm too :)
ENJOY IT. Ha, I know.. Cliché. But - you will (hopefully) only have one of these, so try to enjoy the experience and get some insight from your examiners - they are likely to have a different perspective to your supervisors, and may have novel ideas you haven't thought of yet!
If you do have a viva - be it for your PhD transfer, or masters, you will be absolutely fine. Just take a deep breath, believe in yourself and try your best!
You got this.
Thanks, as always, for reading guys!
B x
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