The Real Viva Environment
I have seen lots of material on internet about PhD vivas and didn't find them much useful because you feel they are unrealistic and don't prepare you to the real thing. The role and responsibility of the university is to insure that the student gets to his Viva in a good manner and not to be put under the mercy of the examiners after 3 to 7 years work. If the university or supervisor sees a problem he should inform the university at an early stage and not let the student waste several years of his life.
1- The supervisor should not assign the student a project that has no new contribution.
2- The university with its progress panels should monitor if this is a project that has a scientific contribution.
3- The university should assert that the software or experimental method is used by the university is acceptable by the examination board.
2- The university with its progress panels should monitor if this is a project that has a scientific contribution.
3- The university should assert that the software or experimental method is used by the university is acceptable by the examination board.
Note:
It is the supervisors role to know that the recommended thesis topic is a dead end or not if not to not select the topic and gamble with the students state of mind. Its a very critical point between finding something knew to prove contribution or to being stuck in an impossible situation. Unfortunately its has become common these days for these patterns to occur.
The Outcome of the viva is predetermined before the viva. The questions are put on each page of the thesis by a yellow note. A conflict would occur during the viva when the student is made to feel embarrassed and bullied in order to break down his confidence and to submit to their unfair decision.
I find this video available on YouTube talking about a silly job interview very similar to a silly PhD viva.
Covert Harassment Before the Viva
When negative ideas are spread about the student and lack of competence on a single individual level before the viva. In order for the project manager not to show his lack of competence in front of colleges. These are some times through telling the student
1- The supervisor will tell the student I will get you the most difficult examiner.
2- Or telling the student there are people who don't want you to pass.
3- The supervisor spreading rumors between members of staff that the student stole his work and published it with his approval.
4- The internal examiner is not happy with the thesis material but he is not specific.
5- The external examiner is not happy with the thesis material but he is not specific.
6- The supervisor will say this is not my field of research making the student panic.
These kinds of actions should be reported to high athuroties at the university in order to protect the student.
1- The supervisor will tell the student I will get you the most difficult examiner.
2- Or telling the student there are people who don't want you to pass.
3- The supervisor spreading rumors between members of staff that the student stole his work and published it with his approval.
4- The internal examiner is not happy with the thesis material but he is not specific.
5- The external examiner is not happy with the thesis material but he is not specific.
6- The supervisor will say this is not my field of research making the student panic.
These kinds of actions should be reported to high athuroties at the university in order to protect the student.
Summary of the Different Scenarios
I will summarize the different expected scenirous and games.
The Work Devaluation Game
1- The devaluation game is on two aspects if you write the numerical code they will say why didn't you rely on experiments.
2- How will I know that the commercial code gives right results, how dose the experimental apparatus give right results.
2- How will I know that the commercial code gives right results, how dose the experimental apparatus give right results.
Not Seeing the Contribution Game
Focusing the first 5 chapters of the thesis and skipping the rest. They will focus through out the viva on paragraphs or plotted graphs or equations that diverge attention from the thesis contribution.
The None Relevance Game
Its is when the examiners knows that the student is from an engineering back ground and the majority of questions during the viva are related to a different field of expertise.
Exhausting the Student Game
Its when the student is give a 4 to a 6 hour viva. Then the student is drawn to talk and derive secondary equations in the viva rather than the focus on the important chapters in the thesis.
Not Allowing the Student to Speak
When they ask the student questions and when the student starts answering them they say we know trying to indirectly making the student feel uncomfortable.
Making Up Corrections Game
When at the end of the viva the examiners start making up corrections when they have no expertise in the field.
The Indirect Threatening Game
When the examiner tell the student you where on the verge of getting MPhil we have given you major corrections. They will wave your thesis work in the air and say its not sufficient work.
The Native Language Game
Due to that the students mother tongue is not English they will try to say we cannot understand him, he dose not know how to express him self. Even if he dose try they will keep saying we cannot understand you. After several times by the student they will say it was a misunderstanding.
The Viva Behind Closed Doors Game
When the viva is not recorded or not held in public the crime against the student can be committed without people knowledge and if you speak out side that room your always in a weak position due to no supporting evidence is available to prove your point, so in short words the viva case is a setup.
The Unclear Corrections Game
Its when the student is told to re-write the thesis again from scratch. When no specific corrections are mentioned. Such as conducting sensitivity analysis but mentioning for which values or for what, some times they refer to it as for engineering applications. Critical appraisal of the literature review but not showing in what sense. Seeing lots of parts unnecessary in the thesis but not mentioning which.These are intended to frustrate the student and get him out of order in being not disciplined. Then to show other academic members that this student is rude and dose not know how to act right.
The danger of making up corrections is that the examiners dont know the steps of such and action and think its easy or misleadingly think its easy where the majority of the public cannot asses what they require and how difficult it is.
The danger of making up corrections is that the examiners dont know the steps of such and action and think its easy or misleadingly think its easy where the majority of the public cannot asses what they require and how difficult it is.
The You Should Know this Game
The viva should be a 2 hour session where each chapter of the thesis should be about 15 to 20 minutes discussion. Any body should know an idea but also he might not know it. No body knows everything but it is an indirect method used to humiliate the student and intermediate him to base an argument that he dose not deserve to be a doctor.
The Critical Point Game
This is when wrong input has been given to the student and the examiner has been informed and told to ask him about the certain point. The whole purpose of it is to push the student to blame the supervisor in order to break the relationship between both. Any student knows that number one rule is not to break his relationship with his supervisor.
Insulting and being Polite
Academics play around the students brain through contradictory behavior. This is through messing up his emotional thinking pattern through raising him up in some positive statements then getting him back to the project failure he has planned for him. I find this comedy sketch very similar to what happens
When Offered MPhil
They will offer you first an Mphil to play with your emotions and shock you in order to make you accept the decision after exhausting the student. Asking him so many none relevant questions to the contribution to show that he dosent know what he has done. This makes the student feel so bad that he will submit to their decision.
When Offered Masters by Research
When the student rejects the decision. They will offer him a Master by research in order to break him down more. As if he is bargaining for his fundamental right after his 6 - 8 years PhD they try to give him contradictory statements to frustrate him.
The Trap of Major Corrections
How to waste the energy of the student. The student is lead to submit a weak thesis. This is a result of wrong advice been given to the student through putting him in a loop of negative thoughts. Because it becomes very frustrating to the student when reading again the thesis and seeing none relevant ideas being asked to do. This causes the student to get angry through out the write up processes especially when the assigned project is weak project with lots of flaws.
After the Viva Directly
You will see members of the department sneaking up to the coffee room. Trying to listen to what happened to the student listing to what the student is complaining about to see if things are going according to plan. To enjoy their sick needs.
Joseph Stalin quoted once: My perfect day is to plan an artful revenge on my worst enemy, execute it to perfection, and retire to sleep peacefully
The Sick Fun Part
They sit down and summarize what bad incidents they went through in their academic career. This is through summarizing the different bad incidents they came across when they got their publications rejected or research grants disapproved or their bad viva situations. They copy and paste these negative statements written the previously encountered and use the one that was the most distressful to them and was never resolved by them. This is what happens next after the viva.
1- Laughing about the corrections assigned to the student .
2- Going out together and having food and drinks after distressing the students emotions.
3- Laughing about that they gave him one year corrections and saying that they will make him go on forever. Enjoying the students weak financial state and visa problems.
4- Talking about the looks of the student when assigned the corrections at the end of the viva.
5- Talking about the intimidating questions they asked the student and how did he react to it.
6- They sit down together (to write the examiners reports) and start proposing the corrections and writing them together and laughing to see what will make the student frustrated and what surprises will come up through him reading the corrections.
7- Talk about business and contracts through covering the examiners travel expenses paid from the students fees.
2- Going out together and having food and drinks after distressing the students emotions.
3- Laughing about that they gave him one year corrections and saying that they will make him go on forever. Enjoying the students weak financial state and visa problems.
4- Talking about the looks of the student when assigned the corrections at the end of the viva.
5- Talking about the intimidating questions they asked the student and how did he react to it.
6- They sit down together (to write the examiners reports) and start proposing the corrections and writing them together and laughing to see what will make the student frustrated and what surprises will come up through him reading the corrections.
7- Talk about business and contracts through covering the examiners travel expenses paid from the students fees.
This video about relating to British comedy shows the double face reaction.
Two Days to One Month After the Viva
1- Bullied by the internal examiner in rough statements about the lot of work he assigned the student while the internal is not chosen to be directly related to the field.
2- The supervisor trying to shut up the student at first by raising his voice.
2- The supervisor trying to shut up the student at first by raising his voice.
The PhD student dose not Get the Examiners Letters on Time
This is when administrative staff hold back the examiners reports, to delay the student and put him more under stress.
The Student dose not Get Supporting Material to help him in Writing his Thesis
This is when the supervisor or department withhold back the examiners copy of the thesis with his comments on it.
Covert Harassment After Viva
When negative ideas are spread about the student and lack of competence on a single individual level after the viva. In order for the project manager not to show his lack of competence in front of colleges.
Department Inquire and Who is to Blame?
I find this very descriptive to what happens in the questioning process. When university administrators and department staff being questioned about the problem. Then all what is said verbal in that meeting the total reverse will be written down on paper. So that the department will cover them selves legally by the raised points of concern. These meetings are not recorded and are conduced behind closed walls.
The Making him Quit Game
The students state of mind dose not differ that much from some passenger on a plane.This is when they keep irritating the student till they burn his mental state up emotions and laugh at it
Falling the student is only done by organized crime and cannot be achieved without the backing of other people at the university, as shown in the previous video.
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