Chapter 8: The Language of an Imposter

All of my fears manifested themselves in those first few days of becoming a PhD student. Having received a rejection and acceptance letter in the same year and from the same doctoral program, I questioned the committee’s decision on allowing me into the program and was certain that I would eventually be asked to leave. This chapter explores the feelings and experiences that I had, which “confirmed” the idea that I was an imposter and how these experiences at times paralyzed my progress. Although feeling like an imposter is a challenging predicament to overcome, I will elaborate on how these feelings have also propelled and motivated me to find success in my doctoral studies. Finally, this chapter further reveals that I am not alone in succumbing to the imposter syndrome and that my cohort members and others around me have experienced similar feelings. The realization that I am not alone has proven to be valuable in overcoming the negative consequences of this syndrome.