Imposter Syndrome And What Helps Me Overcome It
By TIFFANY I.
When I was admitted into USC, it felt like my built-up doubts regarding my academic capabilities were completely resolved. I was accepted into the #1 ranking school in my major, about to attend a university others only prayed and dreamed about. It was easy to feel validated in my past efforts and imagine smooth-sailing ahead in regards to my academics and career.
Upon the start of the semester, however, I stood mistaken. Don’t get me wrong, I felt blessed to attend a university as prestigious as USC, and looked forward to all my college days ahead. However, the motto, “Work hard, play hard” hit me in the chest and I quickly realized USC would be a place that would challenge me academically, socially, personally, and definitely professionally.
It started with the Fall Involvement Fair. I looked forward to getting involved in campus, only to realize the intensely competitive landscape of clubs at USC. Even upon rounds of applications and interviews, I got rejected to clubs I was really excited about. Though the idea was to join clubs to get experience, clubs would reject applicants for not having sufficient experience (which was really tough for a freshman). It also didn’t help that I was rooming in McCarthy Honors, where all my neighbors were the best-of-the-best: top athletes, business founders, and valedictorians, all in a concentrated hub. And don’t get me started on LinkedIn, where everyone’s astonishing posts stare at you in the face, screaming, “You’re not doing enough!”
Even though my peers and I were all around the same age, starting college at the same time, it somehow felt like everybody already had a leg up. They had infinitely more connections, were already starting on a passion project, and seemed to be utilizing their time at USC far better than I was.
However, when these thoughts encroached my head, I took a step back to remember: everyone is on their own path, on their own time. As cheesy as it sounds, I truly believe that everyone is on their path for a reason and you just have to believe that every step you take from the present on leads you to that moment. That moment when you realize things had to pan out a certain way for you to build up that stamina, patience, and perseverance. I started focusing more on the experience rather than the product. I believed that every struggle and rejection would mold me into the person I was meant to be. Just the fact that I was putting myself in situations I felt uncomfortable and challenged in meant that I was doing something right.
It’s also important to add that if you’re only a freshman or sophomore, you are only just starting out. It’s natural to feel like a fish out of water because - you essentially are. We all deserve the grace of giving ourselves time to figure out the brand new environment that is college. And anyway, it’s highly-trained college admissions officers that are reading and selecting you to be a student at USC. If you won’t do the justice of believing in your own potential yourself, don’t do the admissions officers a disservice and second-guess their decision.
