I have been writing blog entries under this blog for many months. The aim was to give insight into issues faced by students during a PhD. I am hopeful that some of the entries may have been useful to some of you considering starting a PhD or in the middle of a PhD.
Jobs.ac.uk is now looking for some one to replace me and contribute to the blog with the general theme of a life of a PhD student. If you are passionate about passing on helpful information or like to write about your experiences, you may contact careers@jobs.ac.uk. The entries do not have to restricted to PhD. They may examine wider topics such as job search, academia, research etc. The main aim is that the reader may be able to get something useful regarding PhD and related issues. Although some of my entries were related to my research subject, the entries should be general enough so that a person from outside the subject may also find it interesting or useful.
Many of the graduate students are also interested in examining different career paths after their degrees. It will also be useful if you consider writing about different career options which you may come across because of your research or conversations with others. You can discuss all of this and more in your email to careers@jobs.ac.uk. They may ask you to write a sample blog entry just to get an idea of what to expect from you.
Project management does not always paint an exciting picture what with different Gantt charts and budget sheets. Recently, I was struck by some interesting quotes by Scott Berkun. Berkun is of the view that “Everything is a project“. And in case people (like me) say that but project management is not exciting, Burken has a ready answer: “project management is as boring as the thing being managed”.
Although I don’t entirely agree with the second part but Burken is definitely right that everything is a project and that project management does not have to be seen in a very restrictive way. For example, Burken observes that athletes manage a project everyday. There is no question that athletes don’t just do their thing in the field. They need to take care of strategies, training schedules, performance trends of their adversaries, traveling itineraries, budgets, financial issues etc.
Similarly, a PhD is not about just showing up at the department every day and doing some thinking. There are daily goals such as looking up a certain reference, meeting a relevant researcher or updating your collaborator. There are short term goals such as mini surveys, paper deadlines etc. And of course there is the long term goal of the thesis which is effectively writing and editing your own book. There may be bottle necks in the way such as you not knowing a certain technique to solve a problem. Extra effort is then needed to equip your self with new techniques.
There are many other non-academic things which need to taken care for example funding. One may have to write regular progress reports to one’s funding agencies. These updates need to be approved or signed by your advisor well before he/she leaves for the Christmas break. If one is running out of funding, new grant applications have to be made and these require a systematic and orderly approach. Similarly, conferences and travel schedules need to be planned properly. This can only be done with some idea of project management even if an Excel sheet is not being managed every day.
Vivas can vary with the nature of research, attitude of the examiner and the flow of the conversation. However, there are some standard questions which one can easily expect:
Can you please give an outline of your thesis and why you got interested in this research area?
What is the context of your research?
How would you assess your own research?
Which are the strongest results in your thesis?
Which results of the thesis do you particularly like?
How would you judge the technical depth of the various parts of the thesis?
How would you judge the contributions of your coauthors in the different chapters of your thesis?
Can you tell which parts of the thesis will interest which research communities more?
Where do you see the research heading in the future?
What are the natural extensions of the research conducted?
Why is this term introduced here and not there? (justify the logical flow of your thesis)
Apart from standard questions, a few other things can make the viva a smoother experience:
Prepare a general description of the thesis. This will most likely be your first answer and a good start can calm the nerves.
Refresh the names of authors you have cited in the thesis. It can create a good impression if you can use the names when you are referring their paper during a conversation.
Highlight important parts of the thesis to make it more readable and accessible especially during the viva.
Although I had submitted my thesis in mid-summers, I finally had my viva. My life is as a PhD student is now official over …thankfully on a successful note! Although I could dwell on a number of issues as I write my last entries on the blog, I think it will be best if I write down some of the lessons from the viva and last few months.
Before submitting your thesis, take a week or two off so that you can review your thesis with fresh eyes and a fresh mind.
Proofread again and again. When one can sometimes encounter minor errors in one’s 8 page published paper, there is always a chance of some kind of error lurking in the thesis.
Treat the time before you submit the thesis as your viva preparation time. This mental attitude may help you look at the thesis more carefully. This is easy to say but hard to do because after three years, one may be exhausted with one’s line of work.
Write less but make sure each and every sentence is defendable.
I know some academics like to dress casually but viva is a time to show respect to the occasion and dress formally.
Make lots notes on your thesis. Use sticky notes if they help. Your notes will help you in the viva.
Vivas are not meant to make the candidate feel uncomfortable. Rather, they provide a chance to explain what you have been doing for the last few years. From what I have noticed, in UK, viva can be prolonged affairs where the examiners go through the thesis and ask relevant questions or seek clarifying comments on parts of the thesis.
Do not be afraid to hold your own against the expert. It is unlikely that your thesis is deemed a flawless piece of work. Also, examiners like to do their job by looking at everything critically. However, a viva is not a time to get overawed by the expert but a time to have an intelligent conversation on a topic you are supposed to have command on.
It is best to be polite even when disagreeing.
Good examiners invest a lot of time in examining the thesis and giving valuable feedback. It is good to thank them for their effort and interest.
One can encounter many PhD students who complain that their supervisors don’t have time to supervise them properly or that they could not be bothered until the annual progress report is due. If a PhD student mainly depends on the supervisor to bounce back ideas, then this can a tricky position. However, there may also be a scenario when a supervisor is a micro manager who wants to get an update on each attempt at a research at a problem. This is neither conducive to a good supervising relationship and also puts unnecessary burden on the Phd or masters student. The same theme is critical sports where over coaching of a young player can have a detrimental effect.
Scott Burken has written an open letter to micro managers of the world where he likens managers to racehorse owners and says than only an idiot would step their horses during a race and give instructions. Burken does not stop there but mentions three main points for racehorse owners (managers):
A healthy, confident, well-adjusted manager knows their job is to do three things:
Hire thoroughbreds, point them at the finish line, and get out of their way unless they ask for help
Coach, teach, encourage and position ordinary horses to maximize their potential and approximate thoroughbreds in some of their work.
Fire those who can never do the work needed without your constant involvement to make room for those who can
The points make good sense and also apply to micromanaging supervisors. Not every one has the same abilities and good managers form a good team where every one is encouraged to perform to the best of their abilities and good performers are not interfered with too much.
One can encounter many PhD students who complain that their supervisors don’t have time to supervise them properly or that they could not be bothered until the annual progress report is due. If a PhD student mainly depends on the supervisor to bounce back ideas, then this can a tricky position. However, there may also be a scenario when a supervisor is a micro manager who wants to get an update on each attempt at a research problem. This is not conducive to a good supervising relationship and also puts unnecessary burden on the Phd or masters student. The same theme is critical in sports where over-coaching of a young player can have a detrimental effect.
Scott Burken has written an open letter to micro managers of the world where he likens managers to racehorse owners and says than only an idiot would step their horses during a race and give instructions. Burken does not stop there but mentions three main points for racehorse owners (managers):
A healthy, confident, well-adjusted manager knows their job is to do three things:
Hire thoroughbreds, point them at the finish line, and get out of their way unless they ask for help
Coach, teach, encourage and position ordinary horses to maximize their potential and approximate thoroughbreds in some of their work.
Fire those who can never do the work needed without your constant involvement to make room for those who can
The points make good sense and also apply to micromanaging supervisors. Not every one has the same abilities and good managers form a good team where every one is encouraged to perform to the best of their abilities and good performers are not interfered with too much.
