What is Imposter Syndrome?
Research has found that imposter syndrome in first-generation students is a common phenomenon. Legacy students – or students whose parents have bachelor’s degrees – also experience imposter syndrome. However, first-generation students experience higher levels of stress because of it.
If you’ve been experiencing stress because of it, read on. Here, we’ll discuss effective strategies for boosting self-confidence for online learners. You’ll learn to identify the signs of imposter syndrome and find useful resources.
What is imposter syndrome in the first place? Imposter syndrome is essentially a psychological pattern of self-doubt. If you always doubt your accomplishments and feel like a fraud, you have it.
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Even if there’s strong evidence of your competence, your self-doubt persists. Instead of acknowledging your abilities, you attribute your success to external factors. Luck and being at the right place at the right time are your common reasons.
Why do first-generation students experience imposter syndrome more than legacy students? Your reasons are unique but these are the most common reasons.
- Lack of familial guidance and role models
- High expectations from the family and community
- Lack of familiarity with college culture, norms, and terms
- Limited support networks
- Comparisons with legacy peers
- Increased feelings of isolation from lack of in-person interactions in online learning
What are the specific effects of imposter syndrome on first-gen students? While personal experiences vary, these are the oft-cited experiences.
- Persistent feelings of self-doubts, inferiority, and inadequacy
- Avoidance of opportunities for personal or professional growth
- Increased feelings of stress and anxiety
- Decreased levels of participation in and out of the classroom
- Increased risk for burnout and even breakdowns
- Impaired emotional health
- Difficulty in seeking support and guidance
The cycle of imposter syndrome can make it seem hopeless. But don’t despair because you can take back your control and confidence.
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Signs of Imposter Syndrome: Recognizing the Self-Doubt
If you’re experiencing these behaviors, you’re likely experiencing imposter syndrome.
- Believe that you’re inferior in knowledge and skills than your peers
- Feel that you must always do more than what’s required or do your best to keep up
- Think that your peers learn faster, better, or easier than you ever will
- Believe that your peers and professors overestimate your abilities
- Dismiss your academic success as luck, timing, and other people’s poor judgment
- Feel uncomfortable when you’re being praised for whatever reason
- Want to please people all the time or get their explicit approval every time
- Feel afraid of disappointing others despite your best efforts
- Worry that your peers and professors will realize that you’re a fraud
- Experience feelings of not belonging and worry about others realizing your outsider status
- Avoid taking advantage of personal and professional growth opportunities
- Shy away from challenges that you feel aren’t within your abilities
- Find it difficult to forget your mistakes, even if these are trivial
- Believe that you won’t be doubting yourself if you’re smarter, prettier, and just better in general
- Compare yourself with your peers on a regular and unfair basis
- Procrastinate on your plans because you’re often doubting your readiness
- Experience depression, stress, or anxiety from your academic performance and social life
- Avoid seeking help because it will reinforce your feelings of inadequacy
Over time, you’ll observe the imposter cycle happening in your life. You’ll first feel self-doubt, but you can achieve your goal anyway. Then, you believe in yourself for a while. But your self-doubt returns, and the cycle starts. As it happens again and again, your imposter syndrome becomes stronger until it’s a near-constant presence.
Strategies to Boost Self-Confidence
Nobody says that it’s fast and easy to overcome imposter syndrome in online college. Like any goal, it takes work, determination, and consistency to regain your confidence.
Set small and achievable goals.
Take it easy, and one step at a time. While these sound cliché, these are true in overcoming imposter syndrome. Instead of setting big goals, aim for smaller yet more achievable goals. Breaking down your large goals into smaller tasks can make those less overwhelming.
Let’s say your big goal is to earn an “A” in all your courses. Break it down into smaller goals and adopt habits to achieve them. Think about studying for 30-60 minutes/day and passing great papers.
With every small achievement you make, you’ll feel more confident in your abilities. The more you believe in yourself, the less your self-doubts become evident.
Celebrate your achievements, too, big and small. You can reward yourself and share your success with family and friends.
Keep a success journal.
Write in your journal every day, even if it’s only a few lines or a few minutes. Focus on your achievements, big and small. Reflect on the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Celebrate your success, too, by praising yourself.
Read your success journal when self-doubts beset you. Remind yourself how far you’ve come and how much more you can achieve. Think of it as a tangible record of your journey toward success as a first-gen student.
Challenge your self-doubt and negative self-talk.
When you start doubting yourself, take a mental step back and stop. Then, take a moment to analyze why you’re putting yourself down. Do you feel inferior? Are you afraid of disappointing others or failing to meet the brief? Whatever your reasons, challenge your negative thoughts.
Instead, say your positive affirmations to boost your confidence. Better yet, start your day with affirmations of your abilities. Throughout the rest of the day, tell yourself that you’re capable and deserve your place. In time, you don’t have to repeat your affirmations – you become your affirmations.
Adopt a growth mindset.
Take on new challenges that will strengthen old skills and result in new skills and connections. You can also overcome your fear of failure.
Again, start small so you can build your confidence one achievement at a time. Then, take on larger projects. In every step, reflect on the lessons learned but move on from the mistakes.
Keep these first-generation student confidence tips in mind, too.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. There’s no point in comparing, and there’s no point of comparison. Compete against yourself, and you’ll always win.
- Focus on your journey and take delight in your progress.
- Maintain a positive attitude but avoid veering into positive toxicity.
In the end, you have the power to take back your confidence. The people around you can only do so much to boost it with their praises.
Seeking Feedback and Building a Support Network
The above strategies to overcome imposter syndrome are directed inwards – into yourself. You engage in self-reflection and self-awareness activities.
But you don’t exist in a bubble, either. Even as an online student, you must interact with peers and professors in one way or another. Not only will your grades depend on it but your social life and mental health will benefit, too.
For this reason, building self-esteem as an online student demands external interactions, too. You must build and maintain a support network. From your family, peers, and professors, you can seek positive feedback and support.
Doing so lessens your self-doubt and boosts your self-confidence because positive feedback and support:
- Validate your abilities and potential.
- Encourage you to take on new challenges and calculated risks.
- Counteract your negative thoughts.
- Reinforce your growth mindset.
- Provide you with mentorship opportunities.
- Reinforces your sense of belonging.
- Motivate you to seek and receive help.
We’ve all heard about the importance of student support services for student success. But we must also emphasize that emotional support for first-generation students matters, too.
Build your emotional support system even before you enter an online college. Then, maintain and strengthen your support network throughout your college journey. Here are a few effective strategies.
- Talk to your trusted family and friends about your goals.
- Connect with your classmates and professors before classes start, if possible.
- Communicate with your online college’s student support services staff ASAP.
- Join virtual student-run organizations for first-gen students and specific interests.
- Take advantage of mental health counseling services. There’s no shame in seeking help and resolving your mental health issues.
Being an online first-gen student doesn’t mean being isolated from the real world. Look outward, too, for your academic success.
Practicing Self-Compassion and Avoiding Perfectionism
Being too hard on yourself isn’t good for your confidence. Worse if you’re a perfectionist in an imperfect world. We cannot then overemphasize the importance of self-compassion for online students.
There’s a power in being kind to yourself that banishes self-doubt. When times get tough – and they will – be kinder to yourself. With every kind word you say to yourself, your negative thoughts weaken.
But we also understand that self-compassion doesn’t come easy. Here are strategies that you can use to make self-compassion a habit.
Let go of your unrealistic expectations.
If you’re the first college student in your family, it’s easy to set high expectations for yourself. Your family and friends may also do the same.
However, high expectations can lead to disappointments and discouragement. Instead, set realistic expectations and accept that perfection isn’t real. Life throws curveballs that smash expectations, too.
Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities.
Nobody’s perfect, and nothing’s perfect. When you accept imperfections, you become kinder to yourself. You also learn from your mistakes while moving forward. Being resilient, or the ability to bounce back from setbacks becomes your trait.
Practice mindfulness.
Being present at the moment lessens your worries about the past and the future. You’re focused on the here and now, so your self-doubts don’t have room in your mind.
But there will be times when self-doubts borne of past mistakes take over. You can take a few deep breaths and take a mental step back. Then, look at the situation you’re in with non-judgmental eyes. Be kind to yourself in that moment.
Remember, too, that while your mistakes have an impact on others, these aren’t as bad as you think them to be. There’s likely a solution to every problem. But if there’s no solution, consider it a learning opportunity.
Additional Resources for First-Generation Online Students
Yes, your success as a first-gen student rests in your hands. But as you will find out in your college journey, a little help goes a long way. Here are resources that will boost your first-generation college student’s success.
The nonprofit organization provides information, resources, and support for mental health issues. Choose from 700+ NAMI state chapters and affiliates, or call their helpline.
The mental health platform offers direct online counseling and therapy services. Licensed therapists provide their services via phone, text and web communication. The 100% online services make it accessible for online students. Note that it’s a for-a-fee platform with fees between $65 and $90/week.
The nonprofit organization offers mental health support and crisis intervention services. Clients can text HOME to 741741 at any time and get these free services.
But there’s no need to look far, either. Check if your online college offers free health and wellness counseling services. SNHU and Walden University are excellent examples.
Check out online sites that offer online learning tips for minority students, too. You’ll find strategies that acknowledge their unique challenges. These include limited knowledge of LMS technology and digital literacy issues.
Consider local community organizations, too. In New York City, for example, consider Brooklyn Community Services and Mental Health Association in New York State.
In conclusion, your experiences with imposter syndrome are common among first-gen students. But you don’t need to be trapped in its cycle, either. You can adopt effective strategies to overcome it and regain your confidence.
After all, you beat the odds by being the first one in your family to get into college. That, right there, is an excellent reason to feel good about yourself.