Your PhD is going to be rough around the edges. There will even be bits of it that are a bit crap. And that’s okay.
I look back at my own PhD today, years later, and there are entire chapters that I still gasp at (‘how did that ever get through my viva?’)
My point here is not to make you feel stupid, or to downplay your intelligence (You don’t need me to tell you’re how smart and capable you are).
No, my aim is to silence that perfectionist that lives inside your head. I want to remind you that it’s okay to be imperfect, and it’s okay to aim and settle for 90% instead of constantly aiming for (and failing to achieve) 100%.
No one gets it right all of the time, and your examiner isn’t expecting you to either.
Don’t get complacent, of course, but at the same time be realistic about your own expertise and skills: you’re not a professor and you’re not aiming for a Nobel Prize.
You’re an early career researcher and your job is to show your examiner you have what it takes, not that you’ve mastered your art.
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