RESOURCES

1. Normalize the experience through talking about it and finding support. Most students suffer Imposter Syndrome silently out of fear of outing themselves as frauds when the reality is no one is alone in this battle. Many of your peers are also feeling left out, are also anxiously questioning and are also irrationally uncertain because it is a normal part of experiencing something new and developing. Talk about your doubt with trusted peers, campus supports groups, or even individual counseling to better understand how and why these feelings are normal.

2. Recognize your strengths and expertise. Remember, you demonstrated the skills and knowledge necessary for college acceptance so continually remind yourself how much you do know instead of dwelling on what you don’t know yet. Create a list of strengths, successes, and needs for improvement. Even better, use what you already know to help others in your class or major, volunteer to tutor or mentor in an area you are having success with and build your confidence while helping others build theirs.

3. Accept “well enough” while ignoring the competition. Imposter Syndrome goes hand in hand with perfectionism and a competitive need to succeed. Recognize your behaviors; procrastination, avoiding altogether, taking excessive time with, over-preparing a task or project. Fear of not doing “well enough” or that your work is not “good enough” manifests in a variety of ways. Pull back; give yourself permission to do something “well enough” and acknowledge the work you have put in and that it is “good enough.” Instead of comparing your work to others, focus on your growth.

4. Change the internal narrative by acknowledging growth. Imposter Syndrome often leads to internal narrative that overwhelmingly dwell on the negative; I’m not smart enough, my work isn’t good enough, I shouldn’t even be here. If you find yourself in this spiral of negative self-talk, it’s important to refocus or reframe the narrative. Allow for the reality of failure and remind yourself that you are learning so celebrate what you’ve accomplished. Also remember academic success is only ones of the factors determining your total success.

5. Practice mindfulness. No single strategy is going to make Imposter Syndrome disappear for good. Each new assignment, each new class, each new experiences brings a new opportunity for self-doubt. Being mindful of these triggers, of your emotional state can help you make conscious choices to re-focus and reframe. When you are in doubt or find yourself questioning, take a moment, breathe and take a mental inventory of what’s really happening. You can reframe your thoughts and focus on what you’re doing well in the moment. You have agency.

"The true test of a multiracial, pluralistic democracy is can I show up as who I am and be valued for that. In most schools the answer to that question is no. We’ve got 500 years of a legacy of building, of norming that paradigm so there’s got to be a lot of unlearning that has to happen.”

- Jeff Duncan-Andrade

"While it’s essential to build broad support for inclusivity and equity, inclusion might not be enough because inclusion suggests that you’re joining someone else’s thing; someone is including you. Whereas belonging indicates that the thing you’re a part of you has a hand in co-creating."

- John A. Powell

“Even with all the support that I felt at Stanford and absolutely loving it here, without the explicit support for the low-income aspect of my identity, I struggled, There was so much stereotype and stigma about it that a lot of folks carried a lot of shame and fear coming from that background. I was homeless as a student for a quarter here and no one knew.”

- Dereca Blackmon