It’s done. I did it. I passed my PhD viva with minor corrections.
It was a good experience, though I am currently nursing a pounding headache. I guess the gears in my brain haven’t been worked so hard in a very long time.
Cross-section of my brain
Anyway, I have quite a bit to share with you but not a lot of time to write (I need to lay down), so I’ll get straight to it.
First off, my supervisor told me an hour before my viva who my external examiner that will be attending my viva is, so I looked up his academic profile and boy was that a mistake. Not only did he have an impressively long list of publications, they also touched on pretty much every aspect of my PhD. He could literally ask me about anything from my PhD as he was familiar with everything I worked on. I was feeling pretty confident up until that point, after which I was just a ball of nerves. My supervisor told me that he’s a very friendly guy, but also very thorough. I learned that the hard way.
After my 40-minute presentation, I spent another 40 minutes answering his questions. My supervisor texted me at the end and said that his questions were really tough! But she also said that I answered everything very well (yay!). Though to be honest, it was much more like an intellectual discussion rather than an evaluation. I am especially grateful for the way he framed his questions. Rather than ask me questions in a way that seemed like he was evaluating or judging me, he would make a statement or two, pose a conundrum, then ask “what are your comments on this?” It made me feel like I was having a truly academic conversation, and not like I was being assessed in any way. Something I didn't expect was that he would discuss my review paper that was published last year. I wasn't expecting it but it was a great addition to the discussion. Even my dean (who was chairing the session) said it was a very stimulating discussion, and it truly was. We even came up with a great idea for a future research project through this discussion, so much so that my supervisor texted me and told me to apply for a grant to run this project as soon as I can.
I am also chuffed that both my examiners who were present (one couldn’t attend due to time zone differences) praised my writing in my thesis. They said it was very enjoyable to read, and one even said it was very “flowy”. As someone who loves writing, this is high praise and it really made me proud.
At the end of the session after my panel had deliberated, they invited me back into the video call and my dean invited my main examiner to make an announcement, where he addressed me immediately as “Dr. Jazli”.
Everyone then shared their comments, including my supervisors, and it was quite emotional as they said how proud they were with the work I had done. I was even invited to say a few words where I thanked everyone in the call and also my significant other (she was recording a video to capture the moment), who was there supporting me as she always has been.
I still have some work to do as I need to make the required corrections to my thesis, but this was still a great way to “end” my PhD journey. I’m really excited about beginning my career as an academician and I can’t wait to get started.
<aside> 👨🏻🎓 About the author Hi! I'm Jazli, currently in the final stages of my PhD in the field of oral microbiology and immunology. You can learn more about me on my profile.
</aside>
<aside> 🧪 Want to see my other posts? Visit my blog page, The Incubator.
</aside>
<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/4bf9d892-7477-4089-946e-8f065e3b5b78/124021.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/4bf9d892-7477-4089-946e-8f065e3b5b78/124021.png" width="40px" /> Want to leave a comment or start a discussion? Head to the tweet below!
</aside>
