I got a revise and resubmit without viva in June 2017. Very embarrassed as I am middle aged and was already employed as a senior lecturer. I nearly gave it all up, in fact I started a thread on here. Happily, I did not and passed with no further corrections in May last year. Good luck yo you all.

You could start with the literature on ‘the big five’ Costa and Mccrae

I have just been awarded my PhD last month at the age of 51

Thank you all for your reassurance, although it is sad that we have experienced a less than satisfactory viva. It has been over a week now, and I have yet to hear about the corrections I have to undertake.

Thanks Ephiny for your kind words,

I do hope that you pass, please keep me posted. It must be a nervous time for you. Good luck !

Yes, hopefully the report will come soon and I can get to work. The revisions are totally do-able, and I do actually agree with most of the suggestions of improvement. I was asked to put extra variables into a series of regression models.

Most pleasingly, they make no jot of difference to the statistical predictors, and thus the subsequent discussion! This will no doubt displease the internal as I perceived a great deal of glee was gained from the potential work I would have to do!! I think that's my problem. Not the actual corrections, but the attitudes of the examiners in the viva. I felt as if they did not want to award me the PhD. (I know that this is probably untrue as a lecturer myself, they are no that interested in me as an individual). We live and learn!

Dear all,

Lurked here for many a year but not posted. I just wanted to share with you (to gain some support I suppose) my viva experience last week. Despite positive feedback from my supervisors (my very experienced first supervisor thought I would get minor corrections), and revising the thesis in-line with their advice, I am afraid the examiners in the viva were highly critical of my work, and was no more than a 'discussion' (with no negotiation) of all the things the external took exception to in my thesis.

I felt the viva was little more than working through a snagging list of issues, very little positive was said. I was commended with 'doing more work than needed for a PhD', the systematic lit review was very well received with a recommendation to publish, but basically that was it! The outcome was mixed and the verbal feedback fell into two of the outcome categories. 'substantive corrections' but 6- 12 months time span was mentioned, no second viva needed, but to be read by both examiners. The external's parting shot was that she was going to re-read my thesis!! I am awaiting the official report, but am seriously thinking about forgetting the whole thing and just getting on with my life. I have a FT academic job and have no ambition to be anything other than a senior lecturer.

New here, just finishing off an MSc and hoping to commence a PhD soon. Sorry to say this but have any of you thought that being belittled, shouted at, reduced to tears constitutes bullying? Would you put up with this behaviour from a workplace supervisor?

The people you are discussing are professional and are acting both unprofessionally and in my personal opinion as bullys, however that would be up to you individually to perceive the behaviour as bullying, not for me to label it. I have looked up an essay I wrote on workplace bullying (sorry but may be useful)

Definitions of bullying within literature usually contain three common elements (Quine, 1999). Actions are defined as bullying from the recipient’s view point, not the intention of the perpetrator (Quine, 1999), so may be established, for example, by asking respondents if they “felt” a bullying incident had occurred (Rayner and Cooper, 1997). Secondly, the actions must have a negative effect upon the recipient, and finally, the actions must be persistent (Quine, 1999).

From reading your accounts, I would guess that this is what you are victim to?