Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

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Have you ever felt like you do not measure up to those around you? Or like you are not good enough to be in the career you chose? You may be experiencing imposter syndrome!

Imposter syndrome, as defined by Oxford dictionary describes

the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s efforts or skills (1)

I recently became aware of imposter syndrome while talking to my peers who have had experience with it. Although it sounds like something out of the game Among Us, it is a very real and damaging thing to experience, especially when applying to law school and within the legal field.

When imposter syndrome takes over, any achievement is viewed as good luck or timing. You constantly doubt your accomplishments and feel as if you do not deserve them (1). If you have ever experienced imposter syndrome, you know how difficult it can be to grapple with the anxiety of not feeling good enough when applying to earn your JD. According to Professor Amanda Peters from South Texas College of Law, some students admitted they put off applying to law school because of their perceived weaknesses, believed their undergraduate grades or law school acceptances were mistakes or believed they would be unable to keep up with the fast-paced environment in law school. (2) The LSAT and applying to law school, in general, is a very daunting process.

When it comes to preparation, the types of questions, and how your score impacts your future, imposter syndrome is sometimes inevitable (1). The score you receive on the LSAT can be seen as a make or break for your job placement after graduation and, most of all, your chances of getting into a good law school. This increasing pressure of how good your score needs to be accompanied by overwhelming feelings that you will never be good enough is a significant factor influencing imposter syndrome.

Law students and those applying to law school are particularly susceptible to experiencing imposter syndrome (2). While applying to law school, you are constantly competing to have the best application and have the best LSAT score to get into the best law school, but it does not stop there. Even in law school, students constantly compare themselves to one another as they are ranked against their peers (2).

According to Peters, imposter syndrome

is causing some very promising students to shoot themselves in the foot before they even had a chance to succeed (2)

In other words, many students have fallen prey to the feelings of not being good enough and are unconsciously hindering their opportunities to reach their full potential. Some students never make it past the first year of law school because they give in to the feelings of self-doubt that imposter syndrome pushes onto us (2).

So how do we overcome this? How do we make ourselves bigger than this phenomenon in order to succeed? The first step is recognizing you have a problem and realizing that others are probably feeling the same way you do (3). It is also essential to pay attention to your thoughts and self-talk. In other words, try to train your brain to mostly think of motivating and uplifting thoughts primarily, and if you feel yourself falling into a spiral of negativity, change the script (3). Instead of telling yourself you do not belong, start thinking of what you bring to the table. In other words, what are the strengths that make you suitable for applying to law school and becoming a law student? Recognizing your strength also provides room for a healthy version of self-growth and realizing your limitations (3). We all have limits, which should not be misconstrued as reasons why you are not suitable for a particular career. Some may even say when you look at imposter syndrome, it can be seen as a healthy recognition of one’s limitations. It is a natural and common feature of being a professional (3). Lastly, and what I think is the most important out of all these steps, is to talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling. In talking to someone, you can help work out what you are feeling, discover that you are not alone and build new relationships that will be there for support in the future (3).

Overall, I think imposter syndrome is an important topic to be discussed, especially for individuals like me who were unaware of it. Going forward, I know I will be aware of my feelings when applying to law school and try my best not to let myself fall into a wave of negativity. As long as we can recognize that we are not alone when experiencing things like this, we can work to overcome them.

Endnotes

1. Stetson Law. How to Deal With Impostor Syndrome When Applying to Law School. Stetson Law, January 3, 2020. https://lawblog.law.stetson.edu/how-to-deal-with-imposter-syndrome-when-applying-to-law-school.

2. Peters, Amanda. “Discussing Imposter Syndrome.” Teach Law Better, September 9, 2020. https://teachlawbetter.com/2020/09/09/discussing-imposter-syndrome/.

3. March, Courtney. “Recognizing the Reality of Imposter Syndrome.” Canadian Lawyer. Canadian Lawyer, July 31, 2017. https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/recognizing-the-reality-of-imposter-syndrome/270562.

Author

Anjali Kupchand

Research Associate at Pre-Law Shadowers