Here’s the thing: I was the definition of average throughout undergraduate, and that’s not hyperbole. I made decent grades but never excelled. I didn’t receive any special awards or graduate with any honors. Even my GRE scores were centered exactly on average. The one thing I was exceptional at in my undergraduate career was fading into the background.

When I was accepted into my graduate program, I really thought it must have been a fluke. Nevertheless, I accepted the offer and was excited to start this new program! I moved away from home for the first time and started in the Fall of 2018. It didn’t take long for me to meet my new friend, imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a fun combination of the doubt for your past accomplishments and fears that you could be exposed as a fraud at any time. In other words, I constantly felt like I didn’t belong to this group of exceptional people because to me, I was still average.

I wrestled with imposter syndrome for essentially my entire first semester. It felt like I had this ugly monster on my back that just wouldn’t go away. Even when I was getting A’s on assignments and receiving glowing feedback from my peers and professors, I just felt like it was all a facade that would come crashing down any minute.

Then, one day, imposter syndrome came up in a classroom discussion and it made me have an epiphany; other people deal with it too! Almost everyone has experienced some form of imposter syndrome in their life, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I have been able to shake this monster off my shoulders consistently since the end of my first semester in graduate school, and here’s some advice for doing so yourself:
 

1. Acknowledge It

            Acknowledging and recognizing imposter syndrome is the most important step to overcoming it. It’s easy to deny these feelings and just push them back, but that only makes it come back ten times worse later. Instead, sit down and tell yourself that these feelings of doubt and exclusion aren’t normal and aren’t warranted. As the age-old cliché goes, you can’t fix a problem without admitting you have it first.
 

2. Reach out for support

            Once you recognize that you’re dealing with imposter syndrome, reach out to others because, again, pretty much everyone deals with it. I would have never known that this wasn’t just my brain overreacting had that classroom discussion never happened. The amount of support available from friends, peers, or professors is endless and it always helps to have someone to vent to. Also, look at people you admire or look up to. Those professionals with awards or amazing titles were once students just like us, and some are often open about their own struggles with imposter syndrome.
 

3. List your accomplishments

Whenever you start to doubt yourself, list your accomplishments. These don’t need to be huge awards or big life moments. They can be as simple as submitting a recent assignment on time, or even remembering that you were accepted to this great university! For me, I remind myself that I graduated from college, was accepted into a graduate program, and have stayed alive this long! I also recommend keeping any positive feedback or comments from professors or peers to look at when you feel imposter syndrome crawling back on your shoulders. I personally have a few glowing reviews of my work and one professional email that tells me “excellent job” that I keep for reassurance.
 

4. Avoid Comparisons

            Avoiding comparisons is huge for addressing imposter syndrome. Everyone is on their own journey in graduate or professional school, and comparing yourself to someone who may have more experience or expertise in a certain area will only provide negativity and doubt. Instead, find your own accomplishments to be proud of and know that for every person you compare yourself to, there is a handful of people comparing themselves to you. Being your own example of success is the best way to extinguish any feelings of imposter syndrome.
 
 
Of course, these tips can’t be a cure-all for imposter syndrome. I still get feelings of doubt as I start to look at career options in my field or submit articles to publications for consideration. Imposter syndrome never fully goes away, but by acknowledging its presence and learning to shake it off, everyone can take power away from that ugly little monster.

--- Corley-Ann Parker
Corley-Ann Parker is a Masters student in the College of Veterinary Medicine