Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

June 24, 2024

Abigail Arnold | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Imposter syndrome – the feeling that you’re not good enough to be where you are. It’s a common one, and perhaps especially in graduate school, where you’re adapting to new norms and lots of hard work. Dr. Jessica McCrory Calarco joined Brandeis University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) in the fall for a webinar based on her book, A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum; in the book, she writes that she aims to fight imposter syndrome by “helping students recognize that there are things that matter for success that aren’t always explicitly taught (and then making those explicit)” (p. 8). To learn more about the hidden curriculum from Dr. Calarco, you can grab a free copy of her book from the GSAS office; please email Becky Prigge, Associate Dean of Student Affairs for GSAS, if you are interested. In the meantime, here are some thoughts and tips on imposter syndrome from Brandeis staff and faculty.

Prigge says that imposter syndrome comes up in almost every conversation she has with a graduate student, regardless of who they are – it’s something that most graduate students struggle with. “The best advice I’ve ever gotten about it,” she says, “is to identify your cheering section – the people who will always encourage you and make you believe in yourself professionally. I have my cheering section, and I talk to them all the time before stressful professional situations. They know who they are, and they know what their job is!”

Leah Berkenwald, Director of Health Promotion and Wellness Initiatives, agrees that imposter syndrome is extremely common among graduate students. “Academia can be a really high pressure, competitive environment,” she says.“As a newcomer or beginner, it's very easy to feel like you don't belong and doubt yourself. This is exacerbated further if you hold a marginalized identity in your field.” She herself has experienced imposter syndrome “all the time” and says, “What helped me most was learning about imposter syndrome so I could recognize it for what it was and consider or challenge those thoughts rather than simply accepting them as truth. It's also really helpful to talk to other peers and mentors to receive validation and hear about their own experiences with imposter syndrome.” She tells students, “Just remember that you are not alone. Imposter syndrome is a shared phenomenon and I guarantee that your advisors, supervisors, and mentors have felt it too. The Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) offers counseling to all enrolled students.”

Sarah Mayorga, Professor and Department Chair of Sociology and a winner of this year’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Mentoring Award, says, “My number one piece of advice for graduate students is to take advantage of mental health resources. The BCC is a great place to start. Imposter syndrome is really normal - for me, it was wrapped up in my own perfectionism and fear of making mistakes. Therapy has helped me build the skills to disentangle my self-worth from my academic work and recalibrate my professional goals (towards excellence rather than perfection since perfect doesn’t actually exist). Those reframes have allowed me to trust myself and be braver - because I do have smart things to say. And you do too.”

Matthew Headrick, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies for Physics, offers his thoughts on imposter syndrome in academia as well. “Academia is very hierarchical and competitive and supposedly meritocratic. So people are constantly evaluating themselves in relation to those around them, both explicitly and implicitly,” he says. “At the same time the criteria are to a large extent vague and subjective. The result is that one is constantly questioning and second-guessing one’s status. What makes it worse is that people naturally tend to compensate by trying to act smarter, more knowledgeable, and more accomplished than they really are. If you take that behavior at face value, you conclude that you must not be as good as you should be.”

Headrick says that he experiences imposter syndrome himself “every day! It never goes away; you just get used to it and try not to pay too much attention. It helps to focus on your own accomplishments. Ironically, it also helps to trust the meritocracy. Although it’s definitely imperfect, the academic system rarely makes huge mistakes in admitting or promoting people. The reason is that a lot rides on those decisions, so the decision-makers at every level usually take them very seriously.” For students, he suggests that “Developing good working relationships with senior students and postdocs (within your group and, if possible, in other groups as well) is crucial to understanding what your strengths are and where you need to improve. It’s very important to talk to them when a professor isn’t around- students and postdocs will often posture and brag when a professor is around, which will distort your view of what’s expected.”

Even Deans have felt imposter syndrome! Charles Golden, Professor of Anthropology and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, says, “Most folks pursuing graduate degrees have been high achieving students, and are rightly proud of their successes. In graduate school and academia, though, we find ourselves surrounded by folks who also excel - our colleagues are all brilliant! It can be difficult to find that our peers seem to know more about the very things we ourselves are so passionately interested in that we've decided to spend many years (or a lifetime) becoming experts in them. This can lead to all sorts of nagging questions fueled by self doubt: Were we fooling ourselves all through our undergrad careers? Are we even capable of conversing at the same level as these people? But, more realistically, we all have areas in which we know a great deal and others in which we could fill in a lot of gaps in our knowledge. It's just often hard to keep that in perspective.”

Golden adds, “Everyone has experienced imposter syndrome at one time or another - and even people who are well along in their careers still have moments from time to time. I'm certainly no different. When I start to feel it, I do all that one can do: keep things in perspective and remind myself that I am in the position I'm in because the advisors, employers, and colleagues around me believe in my capacity to do the work that's required at the level that's required. Sometimes we feel it because we really do need to learn new skills or specialized knowledge. But every student, every faculty member, every person you will work for or with, has had to learn the skills to succeed in their roles - often while on the job.” Finally, he advises students, “Know that imposter syndrome is normal and you are not alone in the experience. Don't buy into it as a permanent state of being. Be open to learning. Be open to discussing it with your professors and peers. Be kind to yourself.”

Imposter syndrome knows no bounds – it’s common no matter what your field is or how long you’ve been studying. But by following the tips above and leaning on your support system, you can fight back against it and keep moving forward.