It’s hard to feel confident within my major when the question “Do I belong here?” is constantly in the back of my mind. 

When you’re continuously surrounded by experts in your field, it’s easy to feel as though you don’t belong. This feeling could be onset by comparing yourself to other classmates, experts in your internships or even your professors. 

But this feeling does have a name, and it’s described as imposter syndrome. 

When I first heard this term, I thought it was a reference to the popular 2020 game “Among Us,” but in reality, it’s way more serious.

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Lisa Penney is a USF professor of management who has completed a study on Imposter Syndrome.

“Imposter syndrome is the psychological experience of being plagued by thoughts that one is an intellectual or professional fraud and fear that others will eventually discover that,” Penny said.

This unnerving feeling can hold back college students from maximizing their full potential. As someone who has gone through it, I know just how important it is to understand this feeling and find ways to combat it. 

“Think of imposter syndrome as internal fake news,” Penny said. 

It’s ironic – as a journalist, I’ve been taught not to listen to fake news, but with my imposter syndrome, I’ve been doing it all along. 

Imposter syndrome is a completely normal feeling that many college students may experience. 

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Ariele Dashow is an experiential learning coordinator with the Center for Career and Professional Development at USF. 

“Common signs of imposter syndrome are going to vary from individual to individual – but I have commonly seen them present as anxiety or dread about work, negative self-talk and feelings of not belonging in your space/field,” Dashow said. 

But if gone unnoticed, these feelings could eventually fester into heightened levels of anxiety and burnout.

Just as easy as it is to feel imposter syndrome, it is just as easy to combat it. 

One way to start eliminating imposter syndrome is to stop placing such high expectations on yourself. I know these high expectations were a reason I began to procrastinate on my work. 

I found myself constantly retyping my articles and accumulating a large amount of rough drafts out of fear that every draft I wrote wasn’t good enough.

But it’s best to break out of this perfectionist mindset and instead look at mistakes as opportunities for growth.

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This could even apply to constructive criticism. Rather than run from it, it’s important to make it a learning curve. This is especially a lesson I learned pretty heavily while working as a student journalist. 

Dashow also outlines other ways to eliminate feelings of imposter syndrome, including writing in a journal or talking to a professional in your field. 

But slowly, as you continue in your major and gain the skills necessary, you’ll soon gain the confidence you need. 

Besides, there’s nothing wrong with “faking it till you make it,” for now, at least.

It’s important to remember you are in your major for a reason. One thing I started telling myself to feel reassured was that I belong in every room I walk into. 

“You have to remember, they hired you because they thought that you would be good at this job – good, not perfect,” Dashow said. “They expect you to make some mistakes and learn, no one is expecting you to be absolutely perfect at your job straight from the get-go.”