Hi everyone,

I submitted my thesis at the beginning of Dec and have my viva in a few weeks. I'm really worried, every time I read my thesis I find more typo errors and end up having a panic. (I had a submission deadline imposed by my new job and was really against the clock to get my thesis in, ideally would've like another week to have had it proof read by a friend) I'm not feeling at all confident about my knowlege and understanding and am really worried about the viva. I have published 1 paper from my results, but that hasn't really reasurred me.

Did anyone else feel the same and does anyone have an advice/ suggestions please?

Thanks

Have you had your viva yet?? I just wanted to say that I doubt that your examiners will fail you for typos! just relax, read your thesis and think about the content (not the typos) and try not to just see the bad stuff/flaws etc. I had typos in my thesis and we just laughed about it in the viva (sort of...) Think positive and try to be confident. I am sure you know your stuff. Plus, having a publication must be a real confidence booster- well done! I feel excited for you - let us know how it goes?
x

omg you sounded just like how i feel ! especially "I'm not feeling at all confident about my knowlege and understanding and am really worried about the viva." thats how i feel too!!

i hope your viva went well, how did it go?

Hi
Thanks for the replies, I haven't had my viva yet - it's next week (arrghh!) will let you know what happens!

Wish me luck!

Lara - have you had your viva yet?

Good luck Rah!! :-)

no i havent had my viva, i'm currently preparing for it. starting today! i keep avoiding reading my thesis, but going to force myself today.

Mine is also next week - feeling exactly the same! (eek!)

Lots of kindred spirits on here. I submitted just before Xmas, and am still waiting to hear when my viva will be. Shouldn't they have told me this by now?

I, too, am really struggling to force myself to pick the thesis back up. The thought of focussing on it again is not an attractive one. It took me the whole of last week just to put a conference abstract together, so I suspect I may have broken my brain with all the effort over the last 4 years.

Great to know I'm not alone, although it does feel like it :-(

Trying to gain all of my positivity, but keep having such doubts, I'm really finding this hard!

I haven't exactly found the PhD process easy and don't think I'm cut out for Post-Doc life, but I have started a new job which I love (not research based), but I do have to pass!

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wow its really nice to hear everyone elses experiences !! i dont feel so alone

well i will share what i have done today towards gearing myself to my viva prep. i'm pretending that i have to give a lecture on one of my chapters from my thesis. essentially i am pretending that i have to teach subject X to a bunch of undergrads. so in order to do that, i need to know my chapter throughly. so using the chapter as my "resource" before i go off doing "extra reading".

right now, i dont remember anything i wrote in chapter X or about subject X, but going to take it one section at a time. so here goes!
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for those that have your viva next week. GOOD LUCK: Rah and Zelda - i wish you all the best for next week, what day is your viva?

wow i feel exactly the same way as you do! i definately dont want to do a post doc. and feel like a fake phd student! that during my viva it will be exposed! but trying to push those negative thoughts out of my head for now, and just keep reminding myself to just try my best.

that is soooo great that you have found a job that you love. thats the most important thing, since you spend half of your life at work! thats great, what does your job entail?

its perfectly natural and normal to have doubts. the best thing you can do is just try your best! whatever happens you did your best and thats all you can ask of yourself.

i am actaully happy that my viva date hasnt been set lol because it buys me more time to study as i really need it!

have you asked your supervisor?

wow i've been exactly the same way, keep avoiding picking up my thesis! but going to force myself to read at least one section, like a paragraph. and then try to see if i can explain it without looking at it, using my gigantic whiteboard!

My viva is in about 10 days. My Dept. have been on the ball. I had a mock-viva last week. I've had my viva date for some time and knew my examiners over a year ago.

Aloha - thats great, how did your mock viva go? what kind of questions did they throw at you?

I recently had an article (based on one of my chapters) accepted for publication by a journal, but they require some amendments to be made and have given me a deadline. I've started on that today, which is proving hard, but actually quite a nice way of getting back into the subject. It's making me think very carefully about how my work needs to be presented to the wider academic community, while allowing me to approach it one bit at a time. It's also forcing me to write new bits and pieces, the thought of which depressed me as I started this morning, but has encouraged me as the day has worn on and at least some fresh insights have dawned upon me.

Speaking purely from today's experience, I'd therefore recommend composing an article as a way to prepare for the viva. Much less daunting than picking up that huge tome that's glaring at me from the other side of the desk just daring me to try and read it anyway.