Viva Survivor

The viva is almost the end of the PhD. A lot of work leads to this point, but often anxiety can mix with the sense of achievement at completing your thesis. For many candidates the time before the viva is filled with uncertainty about the day, uncertainty about how to prepare well - and stress for what the viva might be like.

Viva Survivor is a three-hour session designed to help postgraduate researchers as they get ready for their viva. To date, it's been delivered to over 7500 PhD candidates at universities around the UK.

If you attend then by the end of Viva Survivor you will have:

• identified what examiners are looking for when they examine a thesis;
• learned the many ways that others can support preparation;
• explored valuable viva preparation methods;
• established realistic expectations for the viva;
• discussed common questions about the PhD viva.

Participants have opportunities to ask any and all questions, so that everyone can finish the session unburdened and ready for the viva. I encourage candidates to approach their viva with confidence, and this is the main message of the session: Viva Survivor aims to help with the final steps of the journey now that the hard work is done.

You don’t need to prepare anything before the session but might benefit from taking notes throughout. All PhD candidates are welcome, but the material covered in the session is specifically targeted towards candidates working towards their viva in the next six to twelve months.

Viva Survivor will be delivered live by Dr Nathan Ryder over Zoom. Registration is limited to 30 places.

What do people say about Viva Survivor?

"The session last week was so, so helpful. I really appreciated the practical guidance, which made so much sense and feels do-able and will help my confidence going into the viva. It helped that your manner in the training was calm, clear, concise, and full of empathy and understanding." - UCLAN PhD Candidate, December 2024

"Just a quick note to say I passed my viva with minor corrections! Your webinar was very useful and definitely helped to allay some anxiety regarding the whole process." - University of Manchester PhD Candidate, December 2024