Impostor syndrome, also commonly called impostor phenomenon, is the feeling that despite your many successes, you don’t deserve the recognition you are receiving. It’s most common in minority populations and those who are trying something new (read: graduate students). Students struggling with impostor syndrome feel like they don’t belong in graduate school, they link their successes with luck rather than skill, and they experience heightened anxieties about being discovered as an “impostor” by their peers. This can make students less likely to be open with their peers, submit their work for publication, feel ownership over their achievements, take risks, and make connections, due to the fear of being “found out.”
As we start out the semester, I find that many of the students I consult deal with impostor syndrome in one way or another. Either they don’t feel like they belong in a particular class, in graduate school, or in academia in general. Writing can be a huge block that prevents people from acquiring academic discourse and entering into the academic conversation. Even (and, in my experience, most often) the brightest students struggle with articulating an idea in a coherent way. This barrier can increase feelings of being an impostor, causing frustration (why can’t I just do this), self-doubt (I don’t deserve to be here), procrastination (I’d rather not do this at all than try and fail), and anxiety about writing in front of a consultant (I don’t want to bring my work in to him/her, because then he/she will know that I don’t deserve to be here). Overcoming this in a 50-minute appointment is no easy feat, but it is necessary in order to be able to help the student.
I’ve found that establishing rapport, and creating a safe atmosphere early on, to be an important first step. Demonstrating vulnerability to a student who you feel exhibits signs of impostor syndrome gives the student the freedom to be vulnerable and open as well. This safe, personal connection can help bridge the divide, and encourages students to share their writing at any stage in the process.
Beyond simply being friendly and open, breaking down the misconception that good writing comes naturally is another way to address impostor syndrome. Reinforcing the idea that everyone in academia must revise extensively (barring a few annoyingly talented writers, but even they have had years of practice) levels the playing field. This strategy, commonly used in writing classrooms, comes from Anne Lamott’s Shitty First Drafts. Lamott argues that the best strategy to overcome writer’s block is to write with abandon. Maybe don’t “write drunk, edit sober,” as the advice commonly misattributed to Ernest Hemingway suggests, but certainly don’t be afraid to write ugly. Encourage students to write that long, clunky sentence, and then help them edit for clarity. Emphasizing the idea that writing is a process, which relies heavily on revision, takes the pressure off those first attempts at articulating an idea, and gives hope to students who feel like “bad writers.”
A revision activity that I like is to break up a paragraph line by line, so that each sentence is its own line. The visual space between each sentence makes it easier to revise, without the clutter of the overall paragraph. Have a conversation with the student about what each sentence is saying (summarize the ideas) and what it is doing (introduction, defining, transitioning, etc.). This helps to visualize the structure of the paragraph, and the student can move the sentences around to restructure the paragraph into a logical order. After that, the student can add transition phrases, introductions, and conclusions as needed, and can ensure that the sentence structures are varied. This can help students practice revision skills, build confidence, and break through writer’s block.
Revision Activity Example
Free Write:
Writing is a process which requires reading, critical thinking, writing, and revision. Nobody writes perfectly without revision. Every good writer must revise their work. Even the ugliest, longest, most redundant sentence can be revised to be clear, concise, and to the point. Sometimes students feel embarrassed to write this way in front of consultants, because they don’t feel like they belong in graduate school, or don’t feel comfortable making a mistake in front of their consultant. Consultants should emphasize revision to make students feel more comfortable about making mistakes, and to help them feel like they belong in graduate school and will be successful.
Step One: Saying & Doing
1. Writing is a process which requires reading, critical thinking, writing, and revision.
–defines writing process
2. Nobody writes perfectly without revision.
-furthers argument
3. Every good writer must revise their work.
-furthers argument
4. Even the ugliest, longest, most redundant sentence can be revised to be clear, concise, and to the point.
–furthers argument
5. Sometimes students feel embarrassed to write this way in front of consultants, because they don’t feel like they belong in graduate school, or don’t feel comfortable making a mistake in front of their consultant.
–a reason why students struggle with this
6. Consultants should emphasize revision to make students feel more comfortable about making mistakes, and to help them feel like they belong in graduate school and will be successful.
–the reason this activity will help
Step Two: Restructure
5. Sometimes students feel embarrassed to write this way in front of consultants, because they don’t feel like they belong in graduate school, or don’t feel comfortable making a mistake in front of their consultant.
6. Consultants should emphasize revision to make students feel more comfortable about making mistakes, and to help them feel like they belong in graduate school and will be successful.
1. Writing is a process which requires reading, critical thinking, writing, and revision.
2. Nobody writes perfectly without revision.
3. Every good writer must revise their work.
4. Even the ugliest, longest, most redundant sentence can be revised to be clear, concise, and to the point.
Step Three: Revise
5. Many graduate students feel like they don’t belong in graduate school, a phenomenon called impostor syndrome. This can contribute to a student’s fear of making a mistake in front of their consultant, a common problem early on in the semester.
6. & 1. To make students more comfortable with making mistakes, and to help them feel like they belong in graduate school with their peers, consultants should emphasize writing as a process which involves reading, critical thinking, writing, and revision.
2. & 3. Nobody writes perfectly without revision, and even the best writers must revise their work.
4. With revision, even the most redundant sentence can be revised to be to the point. Creating a welcoming environment which applauds risk-taking and mistakes helps students feel at home in graduate school, and will help them overcome writer’s block in a consultation.
Result: Polished Writing
Many graduate students feel like they don’t belong in graduate school, a phenomenon called impostor syndrome. This can contribute to a student’s fear of making a mistake in front of their consultant, a common problem early on in the semester. To make students more comfortable with making mistakes, and to help them feel like they belong in graduate school with their peers, consultants should emphasize writing as a process which involves reading, critical thinking, writing, and revision. Nobody writes perfectly without revision, and even the best writers must revise their work. With revision, even the most redundant sentence can be revised to be to the point. Creating a welcoming environment which applauds risk-taking and mistakes helps students feel at home in graduate school, and will help them overcome writer’s block in a consultation.
Impostor syndrome can be a huge barrier to success in higher education. A student who doesn’t feel like they belong will be less likely to be open with their peers, make connections, submit their work for publication, or take risks, all of which are important aspects of succeeding in graduate school. Fortunately, consultants have the power to bridge that gap by providing tools for students to acquire academic discourse, enter the academic conversation, and feel like they have an ally and friend on campus who they can come to for help without judgement. This is just one example of using revision to overcome an obstacle. What are your favorite revision strategies? Have you encountered examples of impostor syndrome in your consultations? How did you work to help the student overcome it?
By: Tricia Savelli
Further Reading:
http://wrd.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/1-Shitty%20First%20Drafts.pdf
http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud.aspx
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/your-money/learning-to-deal-with-the-impostor-syndrome.html?_r=0