Realizing Your Potential

Studying in Canada may offer extraordinary experiences, especially with the opportunities to immerse into a different academic culture. However, for some, the difference may be a hurdle that brings them into a mental roller coaster along with their academic career. Two of the most common issues that prevent students from realizing their potential:

Impostor Syndrome
Time management

Impostor Syndrome

The term “impostor syndrome”, coined by two American psychologists, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, refers to the nagging feeling that a feeling that one is not on par with their peers in terms of their achievements, intelligence, and that they do not deserve to be in their current position. It is especially common among students. It persists through college and graduate school and into the working world, and tends to affect minority groups disproportionately.

For example, as an international student coming from Indonesia where English is a foreign language, I often wonder if I could express myself either in writing or in oral presentations in high-quality academic English. The fear of presenting a piece of academic work in unusual or eccentric English to teachers or fellow students in my university kept emerging from time to time. In addition, my perceived differences in academic culture between the two countries could have exacerbated the situation. Along my study journey, I battled with a lot of feelings of insecurity, especially the feeling that I was behind everybody else and that everybody else seemed to have better knowledge, better English, better academic writing skills, and better progress in their studies than I did.

You are not Alone!

When suffering from self-doubt, it’s easy to think that you’re the only one who’s ever felt that way — but it’s not true. Even the most successful, powerful and accomplished people have been unsure of themselves at one point or another. The former first lady, Michelle Obama, has spoken and written about how she used to lie awake at night asking herself: Am I too loud? Too much? Dreaming too big? “Eventually, I just got tired of always worrying what everyone else thought of me,” she said. “So I decided not to listen.”

Light at the end of the Tunnel

Self-appreciation and community support are two important methods to be free from the syndrome and realize one's objectives.

Here are four self-appreciation exercises:

Make a list. Make a list of at least 10 things that show you are just as qualified as anyone else for the role you are seeking. Having trouble? Ask yourself what evidence exists that you are any less qualified than anybody else to do this work.
Say your name aloud. Research has found that the simple act of taking a positive affirmation (such as “I’m awesome”) and adding your name to it (“Jessica is awesome”) can have a powerful effect on how you perceive yourself.
Own your accomplishments. Practice saying these words out loud: “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.” Do not let yourself explain away your success by ascribing them to things like "luck" or "help from others".
Visualize success. Visualize precisely how you’ll navigate the situation — successfully — before it happens. Your confidence doesn't have to come from just experience, otherwise we would never try things for the first time. Imagine yourself nailing the presentation, killing the job interview. Try it.

So you’ve talked to yourself in the mirror and made lists of your accomplishments, and you still feel that impostor feeling creeping in. Try talking to a colleague or friend. Has he/she felt like an impostor, too? Almost certainly you will realize how everyone has their own problems and battles. Knowing this is a thing that others feel too will help make it just that: a thing, but not your thing.

Time Management

Time management refers to your ability to plan and control how you spend your day to effectively accomplish the goals you’ve set. It includes separating non-essential tasks or “time wasters” from the activities that really matter. Poor time management skills can not only lead to procrastination but can cause undue anxiety and erode your overall quality of life.

Staying on top of coursework requires planning and determination. While you may believe that online classes allows for plenty of time to complete coursework by eliminating travel time, many underestimate the importance of scheduling their schoolwork just like other appointments.

Like any habit you develop, you can become better at time management through practice. Here are some tried-and-true techniques:

Understand what each of your assignments entails and when it is due.
Break a longer-term assignment into well-defined tasks with their own deadlines. This can help you avoid beginning a major project at the last minute.
Develop a schedule and stick to it. While you may not be able to control every aspect of your schedule, hold yourself accountable for the parts you can control.
Use technology wisely. While internet is essential for online classes, social media usage and general surfing could be a huge distraction.
Schedule rewards upon task completion. Prioritizing time for rest, exercise and time with friends and family is equally important as it re-energizes you to stick to the schedule of the next task.