By Liz Ciocher
Arts & Entertainment Editor
When it comes to behavioral health issues, the thought of considering all things achieved is commonly overlooked — but not for those who suffer in their daily life from Imposter’s Syndrome.
The phenomenon, described by the National Library of Medicine as a condition where individuals cannot recognize their own success and instead experience feelings of self-doubt, anxiety or depression because of the intimidation of their surroundings, is more commonly found here on campus than perceived.
For four-year students here at the College, nearly everyone shares common experiences, from living in the Towers to their first TDubs experience. For transfer students, those missing experiences can feel pretty catastrophic.
“When I first came here, I definitely felt like I had some catching up to do,” said Julia Setaro, a first year business management graduate student who transferred to the College her sophomore year. “The people who I fell into the groove with sort of already had friends from freshman year, they all had memories of already being here. I was a little behind on that end.”
This discouragement is common for a lot of transfer students. It also ranges depending on the student, from social aspects to academic performances.
Even in small transfers, like going from undergraduate to graduate programs in the same institution, imposter syndrome makes an appearance. According to another first-year graduate student at the College, clinical mental health counseling major Victoria Verdi, these anxieties can follow through the same school.
“Going into grad school I did [experience imposter syndrome],” Verdi said. “I feel like grad school is more competitive and everyone has all these experiences, so it's easy to compare yourself and be like ‘Oh my God, do I belong here? Am I at the same level as everyone else?’”
Students face this phenomenon everywhere, regardless of the institution they’re transferring to. At places like the esteemed Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., transfer students and this phenomenon are studied closely, with a transfer student organization known as Transfer Connect.
The head PR representative of Transfer Connect, Adriana Santos, is familiar with Imposter Syndrome in both her personal and professional experiences.
“Transfer students don’t have the same affinity for the school that the first year students have, so I would say a lot of students come in worried that they aren’t going to belong,” she said. “That they’ll have a hard time keeping up with the first year students and everything they’ve already accomplished.”
Even with so many common instances of students experiencing Imposter Syndrome, the phenomenon is not technically given a medical definition. However, this does not reflect on the severity of the impact it creates on the individual.
“It really was a scary feeling to have,” Setaro said. “Starting over again brand new was the hardest part, and the discouragement didn’t really help.”
Verdi had similar feelings about the phenomenon in her personal experience.
“Trying to make sure that I could still be involved and be social in the two years that I had was really hard, even without having the imposter feeling to think about,” she said.
Even without a true medical treatment for imposter syndrome, students find their own ways to overcome it and to help each other through it as well.
“Making friends on the basketball team really helped any of the fears I had,” Setaro said. “I got really close with them, they became my best friends.”
Each transfer student has a different experience, but imposter syndrome is something that can be overcome through their own mental preparations.
“Remembering you’re on your own path is really important,” Santos said. “And it doesn’t have to look like the person’s next to you.”
