Managing Imposter Syndrome
Written by Alexandria McClarty
Photo credits: Square Space Stock Images
My first semester of graduate school in my Sociology M.A. program was nothing like I expected, but I say that in the best way possible. I learned so much in this last semester about myself, about sociology, and about pursuing a graduate degree. One concept that came as a complete shock to me was brought up in one of the first weeks of my pro-seminar course. It is a term called “imposter syndrome.” I had never heard of this term before this class, yet for the rest of the semester, it was all I could feel in the back of my mind, no matter what I did. So, let’s talk about it.
Though it is not an officially recognized condition, Wikipedia defines imposter syndrome as “a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as fraud.”
During the first couple weeks of the semester, I felt overwhelmed when I realized that I was one of the only students who didn’t have a background in sociology. Nearly everyone else in my cohort was a sociology major in their undergraduate studies, or some form of social science. Some of them even conducted or participated in research as an undergraduate. I come from an arts and humanities background, and I never conducted research in my undergraduate life. How could my knowledge of arts and humanities measure up to those who spent four years diving deep into social science disciplines?
When I began learning about conducting research and read some of the articles published by faculty in my department, I had no idea how I could ever get to that point. I kept thinking to myself, “Did they mistakenly accept me to this program? Am I capable of doing this?”
I think the most important thing that I was told from day one, at my department’s graduate orientation, is the phrase “You belong here.” I did not understand its importance in that very moment, but that impactful phrase sat with me as I traversed my first semester. After all, I was accepted to this program for a reason, right? I may not have known as much about social research or theory as others did, but I knew how to think critically and how to communicate efficiently. My strengths make up for my weaknesses, especially when I have such amazing classmates and faculty to learn from.
That nagging feeling of imposter syndrome will likely always be there, but I learned how to manage it by reminding myself of my value to the field. This is how I have managed my imposter syndrome in my first semester of grad school, and how I will manage it in the years to come.