How To Cook For The Phd Defense
Between returning from a conference inward the USA, together with my defense, I had less than a calendar week of time to larn over the jetlag together with laid for the defense forcefulness itself.
In an before post, I summarized my approach for the defense forcefulness every bit follows:
I didn't actually know how to laid for my defense, together with I'll write a postal service most it specifically inward the future, but essentially I didn't withdraw maintain much fourth dimension for preparing my defense forcefulness all inward all. Certainly, I had to laid my "lekenpraatje", together with I reread my dissertation ane time more, but preparing for possible questions was a piffling to a greater extent than vague. I summarized my dissertation inward a judgement per page, every bit suggested past times Phillips together with Pugh, I went over my coming together notes again, together with I tried line-fishing for data from my commission members (unsuccessfully).
Let me interruption that downwards into to a greater extent than detail, thence y'all withdraw maintain an thought of how I prepared for my defense forcefulness (which, honestly, went actually smoothly afterward I got a agree of my nerves):
1. The presentation
In Delft, nosotros give a "lekenpraatje" for our friends, colleagues together with family, but non for the commission members. Therefore, the presentation doesn't actually affair towards the effect of the viva itself, but it is nonetheless a really practiced chance to exhibit an overview of your function to everyone y'all invited to attend your defense.
I made the slides most a calendar month before the actual defense forcefulness date, but together with thence needed to reshuffle a pose out of times to move able to tally the beak inside the twenty minutes of allotted time. While inward Pittsburgh for IBC, I took off an afternoon to exercise this presentation, together with during the calendar week before the defense forcefulness I ran through my presentation a couplet to a greater extent than times. I wanted to withdraw maintain it rehearsed really good thence that I could almost run it on auto-pilot.
2. Rereading the dissertation
Before the conferences that I attended, I reread my dissertation a finally time. It was already printed past times then, together with of course, I constitute a pose out to a greater extent than mistakes inward my text. While rereading for a finally time, I made a summary (see betoken 3), together with paid extra attending to my theoretical chapter, every bit most criticism from the commission members had been geared towards my proposed model.
3. Making the summary
As suggested past times Phillips together with Pugh, I summarized my dissertation inward ane job per page every bit I was rereading it. Certainly, having the activeness of writing something down, together with thinking of how to summarize a page, was a practiced alter from all the reading of the same text that I had done earlier.
However, I am non sure if it was actually worth the effort. I never looked at that summary ane time again afterward making it. I'm simply assuming that spending fourth dimension amongst my text inward this mode triggered some extra expanse inward my brain, or something similar that, but it powerfulness withdraw maintain been also much effort.
4. Going over coming together notes
Based on my notes of the meetings that I had amongst the commission members, I tried to distill their principal points of criticism, together with plow that into a question. I also verified if I made all the changes they required, or if I had left release ends on a few topics. For those topics, I made sure to move able to explicate why I didn't pay to a greater extent than attention, or to give an outline of a possible solution.
5. Fishing for information
Sometimes, commission members are known to give y'all their questions inward advance. In my case, solely my copromotor together with promotor gave me some ideas of what they could ask, but I had no clue of what the other members would move asking. By going over my meetings notes, I refreshed their "pet peeves", together with inward some cases that turned out to move a practiced direction. I also contacted my commission members to consider if they wanted a finally coming together to laid for the defense, or if they wanted me "to convey some extra cloth to pose on the projector during the defense" (this is how I tried to fish for information, but they all simply told me that at that spot was no demand for a coming together or additional material).
6. Thinking of possible questions
As I was left amongst my coming together notes together with some advice from my copromotor, promotor together with colleagues, I sat downwards to brand a listing of possible questions. These questions, I started to function out on paper, inward an orderly fashion, thence that I could pose them on the projector during the defense. One of these questions indeed popped up, together with my friends thought the commission fellow member had given me that enquiry before the defense. It was practiced guesswork instead. I tried to listing most v possible questions per commission member.
Moreover, I used the overstep 10 viva questions that I got through Twitter.
7. Working out some additional material
I constitute some to a greater extent than interesting papers a few days before my defense, thence I made some notes together with played simply about amongst some of these ideas. That cloth came amongst me to the defense, together with I was planning to exhibit it piece answering the finally question, but I was interrupted past times the Beadle. My dissertation is non a completely finished slice of work, at that spot are ever additional questions that rest to move answered, together with I focused on continuing a piffling flake on the release ends to exhibit the commission that I withdraw maintain given these leads some practiced thought.
8. Gathering relevant literature sources
I took the "really important" papers amongst me that I had used every bit a footing for my theoretical function - simply inward illustration I needed to pose something on the projector during my defense.
9. Get plenty sleep
Getting past times the jetlag together with getting the fog out of my encephalon were most my major concerns for the defense. Somehow I knew that if I had a abrupt mind, I'd move doing good that day.
10. Look simply about online
An excuse to browse the interwebz ane time more? Maybe, but I surely constitute cracking advice most the defense forcefulness here together with here (also cheque the listing of references).
How did y'all laid for your defense forcefulness or viva? Did y'all pass a lot of fourth dimension on it, or were y'all pressed for fourth dimension similar me?
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