Holiday before or after the viva?

[TomUI]

Hi,

I'm planning my holidays in advance and I'll be submitting my thesis soon. I was wondering whether it is better to take a holiday before or after the viva? The holiday would either be 3-4 weeks before the viva or 2-3 weeks after the viva. Which one would you go for?

[impostersyndrome]

Depends on the timing, but I'd advise taking time during the preceding week to prepare, so probably after is better.

[MajesticWhine]

I would take it before. You've earned the break. Afterwards you might want to be getting on with your amendments.

[adanac85]

I took my holiday befire, bit it was five weeks and then i had another month or so after i got back before my viva. If it was a shorter period, id say have the holiday after otherwise you'll be stressing about tge viva.

[adanac85]

I can spell. The app im using doesn't let me spell check!!

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Before! There's nothing you can do in the dead period before the viva, except stress.

Afterwards, you might be landed with more corrections than you expected and you won't feel like a holiday - or, if you sail through with no corrections (!), you'll feel perfect without needing one.

Good luck!

[TomUI]

Thanks everyone! I thought you would all say after the viva, but it seems by then people are more eager to get the corrections done than go on holiday? I'm a bit torn. It would be nice to go once viva is over and I know what the result is, but at the same time, I don't want to be too over prepared and stressed prior to the viva too ...

[dinobum]

I'd go after. You won't get any corrections

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

!

Everyone gets corrections, pretty much.

[user7214743615]

It depends on the field, LRD. In my field it is very common to have only trivial corrections (typos) as work in theses has already been published in journals.

Best not to rely on having no corrections, though, in any field.

[flumpybear]

Personally I'd go afterwards but you should have sufficient time to do them before you leave
If they're minor corrections - good luck!

[Lules]

I would go before. I was exhausted after submitting and it was nice to have a break from worrying about it.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

user - I know. Even typos need correcting, though! My brother's a mathematician and in his field, corrections can be very minor, too. But you still don't want them hanging over you, do you?