5 min read
Impostor syndrome at LSE
The effects of self-doubt and solutions for it.
Think of this situation - you arrive in the magnificent city of London, as vibrant as you imagined and with as many things to do as there are stars in the sky. You are as excited as can be, imagining an infinity of scenarios and plans which might occur over the next three weeks. To add to this state of elation, you realise how faithful to reality the description of the London School of Economics and Political Science as a leading educational institution is, as you are taught by leading academics in their field and observe how more than four and a half million books fit into a single library. You become even more aware of the incredible opportunity you have at hand. However, you might also be aware of a feeling, that has maybe been there since before you arrived in London, expressed in the form of a question. “Will I be smart enough?”.
Everybody, at some point of their life, has experienced so called “impostor syndrome”.
This is the feeling of not being deserving or worthy of a level of recognition despite the number of hours invested into a task and how proficiently it is carried out. Even though it is very common, we tend to neglect the effects it can have on our day to day life, because we are more focused on trying not to be discovered as an impostor. However, the consequences of not believing we are good enough are incredibly detrimental if we want to achieve our highest potential, as it leads to low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Self-esteem and confidence are essential if we want to reach a high level of satisfaction when it comes to our studies, relationships, or other related activities.
Speaking from personal experience, I know the effects impostor syndrome can have on an individual. I believed I would not have the skillset required for the demands of the courses, even though I had been accepted. This feeling of self-doubt continued as the course advanced. Despite understanding everything and keeping up with my classmates, I still felt a deep insecurity when it came to participating or contributing to a group project. These beliefs meant I had a worse experience at the beginning than if I had approached the course with a better attitude. Luckily, I would find a solution which would help me gain my confidence and get the most out of the whole summer school experience.
One of the biggest mistakes someone can make is comparing themselves to another person, as it leads to incorrect conclusions.
Dr Ortega Y Gasset, a Spanish philosopher, stated that “I am myself and my circumstances”. He intended to make clear that everyone is different to one another, due to the varying experiences they have throughout their whole life. Thus, any insecurity which comes as a product of comparing ourselves to our peers is pointless, as we do not know if our colleague has been previously exposed to that subject, has an I.Q. over 130 or is a prodigy when it comes to sports. Instead, taking advice from Dr Jordan Peterson, you should “compare yourself with who you were yesterday”. This simple action allows us to see how far we have come, as we are able to witness the effects of incremental progression, increasing one’s self-esteem, motivation, and ability to overcome impostor syndrome.
I hope this article is useful, not only to help you get the most out of your LSE Summer School experience, but also for your day-to-day life. If you have liked it, keep an eye on future posts from other LSE representatives and make sure to follow LSE Summer School on social media.
This blog was written by one of our 2022 Student Ambassadors, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the summer school experience at LSE.