If you know me, you know that I try to be pretty transparent in my relationship with imposter phenomenon. First coined and explored by Clance and Imes (1978), imposter phenomenon is essentially feeling like you don't belong, you are a fraud, and eventually people will figure out you don't belong or deserve to be where you are. For me this has been a theme across my academic and professional experiences. It also is not uncommon for doctoral students to wrestle with imposter phenomenon (Cope-Watson & Betts, 2010; Craddock, Birnbaum, Rodriguez, Cobb, & Zeeh, 2011; Gardner, 2013).
In nearly every one of my doctoral courses, I was sure they would pull me aside and say, "We know you're trying, but you just aren't doctoral material." This was especially true for me in my statistics course! But I made it through only to continue to wait for that moment in my new role as a faculty member, "It's just not working out." So far, however, it does appear to be working out - despite hat you experience as you go through your process.
In nearly every one of my doctoral courses, I was sure they would pull me aside and say, "We know you're trying, but you just aren't doctoral material." This was especially true for me in my statistics course! But I made it through only to continue to wait for that moment in my new role as a faculty member, "It's just not working out." So far, however, it does appear to be working out - despite my self-doubt.
Keep up the good work.
References
Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241.
Cope-Watson, G., & Betts, A. S. (2010). Confronting otherness: An e-conversation between doctoral students living with the Imposter Syndrome. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education/Revue canadienne des jeunes chercheures et chercheurs en éducation, 3(1).
Craddock, S., Birnbaum, M., Rodriguez, K., Cobb, C., & Zeeh, S. (2011). Doctoral students and the impostor phenomenon: Am I smart enough to be here?. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 48(4), 429-442.
Gardner, S. K. (2013). The challenges of first‐generation doctoral students. New Directions for Higher Education, 2013(163), 43-54.