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I had to submit hard bound versions of my thesis with corrections prior to the approval, let alone the formal letter.

Check exactly what you need to submit to the examiner or convenor.

And, no, I would strongly advise against trying to do what you are suggesting.

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My original supervisor was asked this question when he gave his newly-prof'd talk some years ago. He'd worked in business before becoming an academic. He became an academic because he enjoys the intellectual challenge, and finds it much more rewarding than a conventional 9-5 job.

My husband is likewise. He would never have been happy in a conventional job, never have found the same degree of fulfillment. But as an academic (now a Research Fellow) working on cutting-edge research he finds his work constantly challenging, and ever so enjoyable.

I'm sorry you couldn't find a PhD topic that you loved Delta. I sort of fell into my first one, but of course had to leave that when the illness struck. When I had a second go, this time part-time, it was very reluctantly, and only because I had found a topic which I absolutely loved, and wanted to research more, even if I was very scared of dropping out from / failing a PhD again. I planned to self-fund that part-time PhD, and did for the first year, but won funding from AHRC for the remainder. Though of course I can't work in academia now, but am an independent academic, generating (slowly) more academic journal papers, and doing more research, as I can.

Not bad, thanks. Neurological disease sort of behaving itself, at moment. Really struggling with a cold though. Sometimes being on 4 chemo drugs as well as steroids sucks ;-)

Totally trivial thing: I'm a Doctor Who fan. Have been since 1978. Being a Dr is quite nice for that reason :p But I didn't start the PhD (well either PhD: I had to leave an earlier one due to falling seriously ill) to become a Dr. I started it for love of the research topic, which I discovered and defined myself, and then applied for and won funding.

Being confused for a medical doctor can be embarrassing. My Mum was critically ill in hospital last year, far away from us, and must have told the nurses - in her brief lucid moments at that time - that I was a Dr, as was my husband. So when I phoned up at one point, the head nurse gave me a run-down on Mum's latest medical situation, in full medic-speak, assuming I was a medic. I had to explain I was actually an academic doctor, and apologise for the confusion. Though it had a plus point: I found out more about Mum's situation than they would probably have told me otherwise. And I managed to decode everything they were telling me.

I mainly use Mrs, but for academic things I use Dr. So the post etc. to home is almost all in the form Mrs. We're actually a Dr & Dr household, but don't use the titles outside academia.

I got married just before I started my original (had to leave) full-time science PhD. So throughout that and my later part-time humanities PhD I've always gone under my married name. I do have a journal paper (during my BSc(Hons)) under my maiden name as well.

I was calm for the 6 weeks between submission and the viva too. I think my 'que sera sera' attitude helped a lot. I viewed the big task as having submitted the thesis, and I knew that the examiners' decision would be largely based on that. So I'd done the hard work already. The viva can swing things, especially in marginal cases, but it's not all down to that final day.

So I relaxed. I prepared - as I've explained here a lot - in my minimal (very minimal!) way. And I wasn't at all nervous, until about 1 hour before the viva started, when I was sitting having a hot chocolate, and looking at other people around me, and feeling extremely unreal ...

Only just saw this, having pretty much left the forum before Delta's viva (didn't even know there was a viva!).

Huge congratulations. Very pleased for you. Good luck with the next steps in your life/career.

Yes I've posted my viva tips here a lot. Quoting from my viva experience blog post:

"I couldn't have anticipated most of the questions that came up. In my viva preparation it was more important that I was confident enough to deal with anything the examiners asked on the day, and that comes from knowing your thesis well. I read mine before the viva, and summarised it so I engaged with it more actively. I also thought about 5 key areas: originality of my thesis, contribution to knowledge, methodology, weaknesses/gaps/mistakes, and what would I do differently if starting again. I didn't have (or want) a mock viva, but found reading the book by Tinkler & Jackson useful for demystifying the viva process, and preparing me for the experience."

Are you sure about that? Normally 30 point OU courses need about 8 hours study a week. It's 60 point OU courses that have a recommended study time of 16 hours. Which means that taking 120 points, which is equivalent to full-time study elsewhere, takes about 32 hours study a week.

I did my history BA(Hons) with the OU. I also recently did a 60-point Level 3 (honours undergraduate) course, purely for fun. I was sort of managing on 3 hours total a week rather than 16 ... :p Though that's not recommended!

A Scottish MA(Hons) is a first degree, equivalent to an English BA(Hons). It is not a postgraduate Masters degree, which people typically need when they are intending to do a PhD. Scottish postgraduate taught Masters arts degrees are typically not MA degrees, but titled various things like MLitt or MPhil. It can be confusing! I have a Scottish MPhil which is a taught PG Masters, equivalent to an English MA.

You will almost certainly need to do a taught postgraduate Masters degree on the way to doing a PhD, unless you can get direct entry to a PhD without one. Which is unusual in the arts/humanities field.

(briefly delurking!)

Thanks everyone for all the nice comments. I really appreciate them.

Yes I'm going to use my limited time wisely. I have lots of fun things I want to do (a long list!), and I'm still converting my PhD thesis into more academic journal papers. Since my viva and graduation I've had two more accepted, and have two more currently with journal editors. And I am working on two more right now. But at a very leisurely pace, and taking it carefully. It's very rewarding though.

Thanks again.

Hi all,

I completed my part-time history PhD early in 2010, with viva in March, and all finished and graduated by June. I've stayed on the forum since to give advice and tips, especially on preparing for the viva, and getting through tough patches. But I'm finding I have very little good time now, due to the progressive neurological disease. So I'm planning to sign off.

Before I go I want to share my viva story. I've been anonymous throughout my postings here, but now I'm going I'm happy to link to a public post which identifies me, and goes through my viva experience in considerable detail. It may help others. And it includes my standard viva preparation tips.

http://phd-viva.com/viva-experience/my-viva-was-restricted-to-an-hour-for-disability-reasons

And I want to thank everyone who has helped me here. Far far too many to name individually. But without this forum I doubt I would have got through my part-time PhD. It really is a lifesaver.

Best wishes all.

Bilbo

Congratulations! Really chuffed for you 8-)

Afraid I haven't tried it with my Kindle. I didn't even know you could, so there's something new for me. I've only recently started using Instapaper, only with my iPad so far.

If your viva is on Tuesday my best tip would be that you do something very relaxing on Monday, nothing to do with your PhD at all. Watch a DVD you enjoy, go for a walk, anything but viva preparation. And try to get a good night's sleep before the big day, although if you don't it's still possible to get through the viva, as I found: adrenaline can make up for a lot!

And best of luck for the day.