The Impostor Syndrome in Graduate School

I write a biweekly Q&A blog on Benchfly.com, and I frequently get questions from desperate students who believe they are not “smart” enough for graduate school (to read the Q&A blogs go to: http://www.phdnet.org/deardora.html). They all think they are the only ones who do not belong there. Graduate school is just way over their heads, and they never should have applied in the first place.

Graduate school can indeed by an intimidating and frustrating experience. What if the admissions office made a mistake by accepting you and now they are stuck with you? Believe it or not, these feelings are so common among graduate students, that they actually have a name. Dr. Valerie Young, a life coach with a Ph.D., named this the “impostor syndrome.” (www.Impostorsyndrome.com). The “impostor syndrome” refers to the feeling that you are not good enough, and that other people might soon discover that you are not as intelligent as they thought you were.


Sounds familiar? I hope not, but if it does, you are certainly not alone. When I heard about the “impostor syndrome” (years after I graduated), I smiled immediately, because there were times when I wondered whether I could ever finish. At the time, what helped me the most was to talk with other students, because it helped me to understand that I was not the only one feeling frustrated, or rather, super-frustrated with no idea what the next step should be.

If you ever experience these feelings, remember that a Ph.D. is meant to challenge you. Professors will grill you (and possibly embarrass you as well), but this is considered the “rite of passage” to the Ph.D. world. Consider the following statistics. Each year, over 40,000 students earn a Ph.D., and more than 1,300,000 people have earned a Ph.D. since 1920-all in the United States alone. If they can do it, why not you?

Of course, there are cases where students make a decision to leave graduate school for reasons such as finances or change in career plans. But these decisions should not be based on not being “smart” enough. If you are ever frustrated, feeling alone, remember how many students have earned their PhD’s before you, and many of them probably faced the same challenges as you. Most of the time, a candid conversation with your peers and supervisors can help you make decisions about your thesis and career plans so you can move forward more confidently.