A British philosopher by the name of Bertrand Russell once said: "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

The other day a doctoral student/assistant professor in one of my education classes mentioned this thing called: “Impostor Syndrome”. I asked what she meant by that and she said, “It's this thing where you think that you’ll be found out. Where you look around you and you think that the people around you are smart and you are a “fraud”. A light bulb immediately went off in my head and I thought, “I have never heard of such a thing however, I think that I have a mild form of this…”

“[Impostor syndrome is] a shared learned behaviour common to high achievers – people are left on their own, competition is intense, and there’s not much of a mentor system” From Feeling Like A Fraud.

One time in high school, I wrote a paper that my teacher told me was “so great”, but I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t like to say “thank you” because I felt as though I wasn’t deserving of the compliment and that I was not any more special than anyone else who could write a "good paper". I knew that there were students in my classes who got better grades and who were overall better at everything, so what was the compliment even worth?

The feeling that rushes through me after being given a compliment is really an indescribable one. I begin to get nervous and I think to myself, “Stop. Why are you saying these things to me? You’re lying.”

The same thing happened later on in my life when I began having success on the lacrosse field. I just wanted to play because I loved the game, of course I wanted to do well, but when I did, I didn’t want any compliments because they made me feel awkward and it affected my performance.

Then, college came around and this feeling that I was/am an "imposter" became much more real. I wasn’t sure I knew what I was doing and I still don’t know how I am an English major. “English majors are supposed to be smart bookworms, right? Not me, no way, I’m not smart, I just like to write. What do I even know about the subject? Four years of hard work and I think that maybe once I get a job, they will find out." They will know that I’m in fact a “fraud." I am a relatively confident person, however, that does not mean I always know what’s going on and that my thoughts are the right ones. I live in fear that one-day people are going to realize that I don’t know as much as they think I do.

Although my mild case of Impostor Syndrome exists, it doesn’t stop me from trying to succeed. To me, I’d rather just succeed, and not be complimented for it. Maybe in the future when I feel as though I’m working harder, a compliment or two could be okay. However, I think that knowing that my students understand me, and what I want for them, and when they comprehend the material that I present, then that’s enough of a compliment for me.

It isn’t this easy for all of us though. If you have experienced it, you may not realize that it is commonplace for many people and for many college students. Many more college students, especially graduate and doctoral students, suffer from Impostor Syndrome because of their place. They are on the path of attaining a very high degree their confidence levels could be tainted by others around them or the fact that they cannot see where they will be “useful” l in their futures. According to Drake Baer, a contributing writer for Fast Company said: “Three quarters of Harvard Business School students feel like they got in by some failure of the admission process” This statistic is both shocking, but also not. Typically, Impostor Syndrome is present in high achievers.

Although it is said that Impostor Syndrome is often present in perfectionists, you don't that you have to be a perfectionist to experience some part of it. However, people who strive for success or experience it are victims of this random, yet relatable syndrome. The way to cope with this is to admit it and to talk with people who also feel the same way as you. Then maybe, we can take a compliment when we deserve it and truly believe that we have the job that we have because we are good at it or because we deserve it.

Intuition is the ability to understand and respond to something that we know well through learning in school, studying, or experience. This intuitive sense is what proves our worth in what we are and why we hold the jobs that we do.

If you think that you have Impostor Syndrome or a mild case of it. Take the advice that I am giving to myself. To believe that your knowledge is authentic and to put an end to comparing yourself to your classmates. Chances are, that once we all get jobs post college we will realize that our expertise is legitimate and has worth.