ILLINOIS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Writers
    • Alumni

Welcome

Personal Ponderings on the Illinois Music Experience

Combating Imposter Syndrome

6/9/2021

Comments

 
Picture
At some point in their college career (or afterward), most people experience some form of imposter syndrome, or the feeling that they’re a fraud/don’t deserve their successes. As a woman, in a major comprised primarily of men, this feeling is all too familiar to me. It’s hard sometimes to not doubt yourself and your skills, but over the years I’ve found there are ways to make imposter syndrome feel a little less overwhelming.
Commonly, people who experience imposter syndrome feel that they are not as intelligent or skilled as their peers. In college, many students feel as though they “aren’t as smart” as other students in their courses, and sometimes question if they even belong at the university in the first place. For me, I definitely felt like this when I first got to campus. What helped me fight the insecurity was being logical: everyone went through the same application process I did. Although maybe people are smarter than I am, we all ended up at the same school for a reason. Everyone who goes to school here deserves to be here.

My best advice to avoid imposter syndrome, though, is to not let yourself be defined by academics or work. I find fulfillment in activities that have nothing to do with my major, and having a wide set of skills/interests has allowed me to not worry so much about how I compare to others in one area of my life. Focusing on personal fulfillment and growth, instead of letting a school or work environment define your worth, has been very helpful.

Don’t worry too much about avoiding imposter syndrome, because it’s an extremely common experience in work/academic environments. The key is to be able to identify these feelings as illogical, and not allow them to hold you back from your full potential. You are always smarter and more capable than you think.

Brigid Young

Comments
comments powered by Disqus

    Categories

    All
    Admissions
    Allerton-park
    Anxiety
    Arias
    Art-song
    Audition
    Bookstore
    Brass
    Campus Life
    Career Prep
    Cello
    Chambana
    Chamber Music
    Chamber Singers
    Champaign-Urbana
    Choir
    Choral Conducting
    Collaborative Piano
    College
    Community
    Competition
    Composer
    Concert
    Conducting
    Confidence
    Covid-19
    Dining
    Dissertation
    Dorm Life
    Education
    Encore
    Entrepreneurship
    Euphonium
    Exercise
    Family
    First Impressions
    First Year
    Flute
    Food
    Freshman
    Friends
    Gender Identity
    Grad School
    Graduate
    Graduate Assistant
    Graduation
    Grateful
    Growth
    Gym
    Health
    Horn
    Housing
    Imposter Syndrome
    Innovation
    In-person
    Inspiration
    Instrument Repair
    International Student
    Internship
    Junior
    Krannert Center
    LGBT
    Live Performance
    Lyric Theatre
    Marching Illini
    Memorization
    Mental Health
    Mentor
    Mindfulness
    Music +
    Musical Theater
    Music Building
    Music Education
    Music Festival
    Music Technology
    Music Theater
    New Student
    Opera
    Opportunities
    Orchestra
    Out Of State
    Parenting
    Performance
    Performance Anxiety
    Performance Major
    Performance Preparation
    Pizza FM
    Practice
    Process
    Production
    Prospective Students
    Quiet Spaces
    Recital
    Recording
    Reflection
    Rehearsal
    Rehearsals
    Relationships
    Relaxation
    Reset
    Rest
    Restaurants
    RSO
    Scholar
    Self Care
    Self-Care
    Self-Discovery
    Senior
    Show
    Social Justice
    Soloist
    Stress
    Student Life
    Student Teaching
    Studio Class
    Study
    Summer
    Support
    Technique
    Time Management
    Tips And Tricks
    Tools For Success
    Trombone
    Trumpet
    Tuba
    Undegraduate
    Undergraduate
    Violin
    Virtual Concert
    Voice
    Vote
    Wellness
    Women's Glee Club
    Woodwind
    Work
    Work Space

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Writers
    • Alumni