Student Mental Health: Imposter Syndrome at OHS
Students in the OHS student body may experience many mental health challenges because of the high academic standards set by the school as well as students and their families. Collectively, the student body of OHS is ambitious and highly driven. By extension, we also hold ourselves to some extremely high standards. Defining our worth with test scores and grade point averages in a community filled with self-starting, accomplished students can ultimately lead to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is when an individual doubts their capabilities to the point of fearing that they are a fraud. Mental health is still widely stigmatized, and in a community full of industrious, driven students, it is hard to admit when one is struggling. Often, these feelings can be falsely perceived as unique. However, most students feel some extent of imposter syndrome, and remembering this will help students gain perspective.
To get a general sense of imposter syndrome within the OHS community, a Google form was sent out and it received 22 responses. The correlation between the inherent competitiveness of students and levels of imposter syndrome is fairly direct; if students are constantly competing with each other, they are bound to doubt their skills in relation to others. 47.6% of 21 students believe that OHS is competitive, to some extent, and 14.3% believe OHS is extremely competitive. Moreover, 47.7% of responses suggest that the level of competitiveness OHS fosters is actually positive. It is true that OHS is noted and praised for its rigor; it fosters an ambitious drive that will only help us succeed after high school. However, when that amount of competition increases to an unhealthy extent, imposter syndrome is a likely possibility. Often, external competition leads to internal pressures that further contribute to a perceived lack of belonging.
Only 9.5% of students responded that they feel no extent of imposter syndrome. 28.6% of responses report “a large amount” of imposter syndrome. Students say that their feelings of perceived fraudulence are impacted by “rigor and the high-achieving abilities of students.” Students also agree that it is “not just […] the expectations from your teachers, but also from yourself” that impact the extent of imposter syndrome. One student reported that because “There are so many people who have accomplished so many things[,] it’s hard to feel like I’m good enough to be at this school.” Feelings of usual stress on top of the pressure to live up to the other students’ impressive repertoire can lead to unhealthy amounts of imposter syndrome.
It is of the utmost importance to gain a healthy perspective when attempting to deal with imposter syndrome. When asked about how to deal with imposter syndrome, one student said that “realizing that every student–no matter how much they seem like they’re thriving–is dealing with something tough in their life” is significant. The same student elaborated and explained that “the best thing you can do at this school is learn. And learning is not a competition.” Another student gave a more socially oriented solution, saying, “I interact with my friends more often [and] it helps bring everything back to reality. Often my mind exaggerates the imposter syndrome [I’m feeling] so by speaking to other people, it makes OHS seem more manageable and [that] I’m not here by accident.” Knowing that everyone struggles with stress can relieve the pressure to constantly have everything together. Although OHS shines through with its rigorous and advanced programs, it more importantly instills growth mindsets in students. Growing, whether it is socially, organizationally, or academically, is the only thing that truly matters as an OHS student.
Although imposter syndrome is largely present within the OHS community, it is important to recognize that everyone is here for a reason. As one student eloquently wrote, “OHS values the learning process; maybe it's a good thing to be imperfect, because the real satisfaction is seeing how much YOU have improved.” OHS consists of a student body that excels in supporting each other. Students also have excellent counseling and wellness resources available to them if they feel that they are struggling with imposter syndrome.
Sources:
Benisek, Alexandra. “What Is Imposter Syndrome?” WebMD, 15 February 2022, https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-imposter-syndrome. Accessed 2 January 2023.