Imposter syndrome: how can we overcome this?

As we submit final assessments and exams are approaching, feelings of inadequacy and being a fraud are subtle thoughts that cross my mind. Am I good enough to be pursuing a career in law? Did I really deserve that good grade? Am I making too many mistakes?

Impostor syndrome refers to "...an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be." It comes in waves – sometimes I feel content with my abilities and knowledge, but for instance, as exams approach and I start to revise and realise how much I didn’t retain over the semester – Imposter syndrome hits me. I know if my friends read this, they’ll roll their eyes and reassure me that I know what I’m doing, and I’ll do well. But at times, hearing ‘you do law, you must be smart’, makes me feel like a fraud when I don’t understand certain concepts or receive a not ideal grade.

Imposter syndrome has been a topic of conversation recently in my life – it’s a conversation I’ve had with friends, my housemate and classmates. In certain degrees, Imposter syndrome may be more prevalent (I will say that I see it a lot in Law & in women)! I often get upset when I hear my closest friends underestimating their capabilities – so why should I treat my perception of myself any different?

After my final class of the semester yesterday, I walked with a classmate towards Rundle Mall, and she expressed how stressed she was as she realised how much she didn’t know during the class. I reassured her that of course it’s natural to feel this way – none of us have started studying for this subject (as this exam is later on), how can we be expected to comprehend the content if we haven’t started the revision? So more or less, reflect on your situation – it’s easy to get caught up in feeling inadequate, but it’s often that once you get into the groove of studying and you have all your notes done that you feel a lot more confident and understand what you’re doing.

I will say that it makes a world of difference having a network that understands and knows that Imposter syndrome is an occurrence in my head – so I am often reassured and given advice to overcome it. Likewise, it’s appreciated when lecturers or seminar leaders address imposter syndrome – it’s a nice reassurance!

Imposter syndrome can sabotage your own success. You should be very proud of yourself for coming so far – reaching tertiary education is a huge achievement and whether you’ve just completed your first semester in uni, or in your last – you are capable and should reward yourself. It’s important to identify imposter syndrome, understand the causes and develop coping strategies. Check out this article which provides 10 tips to overcome Imposter Syndrome.

All the best for submitting final assessments and undertaking exams – you should all be very proud of yourselves!