The Defense

What happens

The student presentation

• Slides? Most students choose to use slides (a projector or screen will be available in the room), although it is not a requirement.
• Language: You must defend in the same language as you wrote your thesis in (which is the language you signed up for). I have never experienced that the English proficiency of a student affected the final grade (and I have heard some relatively bad English!). The exam is a test of your skills in economics, not in English; and we are perfectly able to distinguish the two.
• What to talk about? Generally, make sure to focus on the big picture and the overall narrative arc in your thesis. Do not worry about mentioning all tiny technical twists or reservations, we have just read the thesis and have everything fresh in memory. The presentation is a great way of showing the external examiner (and your supervisor) the brilliant structure behind your work: a simple yet important research question; the right method to examine the question; perhaps a great dataset; a rich analysis; and a clear message.
• Questions? Typically, there will be no questions during the student presentation, although there may be qualifying questions.

Discussion

• Who leads? Typically, the supervisor has questions for guiding the discussion.
• In doubt? Ask!! It’s perfectly acceptable to ask questions like
  • “It sounds like you’re asking if XYZ, am I hearing you right?”
  • “I’m not sure I follow, could you reformulate your question?”
  • “Do you want me to give an example or to talk about the math?”
  • And it is fine to ask twice.
  • It costs you nothing to ask these clarifying questions where you try to ensure agreement about the contents of the question. Of course you should not ask if you are not in doubt, but you should not feel like you have to say anything.
  • Typically, there’s something that confuses you or something you suspect the question is about. If so, add it, e.g. “It sounds like you’re asking about the results of XYZ, but then I don’t follow what you mean about including ABC?”
• Nervous? Everybody gets nervous. But it’s typically only yourself who is aware of it. There are many strategies for dealing with nerves, take the opportunity to learn about yourself and think about what works for you. Some suggestions:
  • The stakes are not as high as you may be worried about: remember that the majority of the grade is based on your written thesis, not the last 0.5-1 hour of work. The oral examination is mainly there to ensure that one could not get someone else to write the thesis without doing any work oneself.
  • Talk about it: It’s perfectly fine to say “I’m feeling a little nervous today”. Nobody will think any less of you!!! But it will give your supervisor an important cue to help facilitate a good discussion with empathy and an inviting posture. You can also bring this up with your supervisor before. If you have any triggers (harsh words, not shaking hands with the external examiner first, being interrupted, etc.), be sure to mention them.