Do you feel insecure because you feel less experienced or knowledgeable than your peers? Even for some wildly talented and successful people, feelings of worthlessness and incompetence follow them throughout their careers.
 Such feelings are symptoms of a psychological phenomenon known as "imposter syndrome," a condition in which people have a difficult time recognizing their achievements. Although it is currently not considered a psychological disorder or listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, more research is being conducted on it and treatment is available in the form of therapy.
On Monday, Sept. 16, the Women in Science Initiative at Brandeis held an event entitled "Imposter Syndrome Panel."
The event was originally scheduled to be held in the Gerstenzang Science Library but was moved to a neighboring classroom due to the very high volume of attendees. 
More than 40 people attended the event. The speakers at the event included Sue Lindquist, Ph.D., of the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and winner of the National Medal of Science, and Prof. Judith Herzfeld (CHEM), Prof. Gabriella Sciolla (PHYS) and Prof. Daniel Ruberman (MATH).
The panel consisted of the professors sharing instances their lives when they felt like "imposters" and advising students on how to overcome moments of insecurity that can be experienced by graduates and undergraduates of all disciplines, though given their backgrounds much of their advice was geared toward students in the sciences.
Lindquist spoke first and shared her anxieties as a graduate student, fearful she did not belong among her more intelligent peers. "Applying to schools like Harvard University, MIT University and Stanford University for graduate school scared the Jesus out of me," she said.
Eventually, Lindquist rose above her fears. "If you have a passion for what you're doing, just keep on going and eventually you will realize that you are not an imposter," she said.
Sciolla also shared her experiences with imposter syndrome on her path to success. Sciolla, who studied at the University of Turin in Italy, spoke more specifically about the challenges that she faced as she was studying to be a physicist, such as the difficulties she faced because she was not a native English speaker.
Sciolla also explained how insecurity carries on after being a student, by mentioning that competition does not fade once the GPA disappears and that measuring one's comparative success only becomes more difficult. In spite of the fact that she still encounters insecurity on occasion, she has changed her mind set. "Nobody asks you to do something that you are not ready for," she said.
Next to speak was Herzfeld, who expressed gratitude for receiving a college education at Barnard College, an institution that encouraged women to succeed in science.
As Herzfeld shared her story, she described the advice she received from her mother when she was struggling. "You can't expect more than the best from yourself and no one else can either," she said.
Ruberman continued the panel discussion by sharing his experience with imposter syndrome when he began graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. He expressed how nervous he felt while discussing his first math test with his peers, who seemed much more confident with their performance.
Ruberman also said "throughout high school and college, [he] realized that [he] was actually very lazy." He further explained that because he did not want his peers to find out that he was lazy, he "decided to work hard to hide [his] laziness." This sparked laughter among the audience.
After this portion of the event, the panelists answered questions from the audience. One question that arose was from a student who asked how he could know if he was in the right field.
Sciolla encouraged students to ask their professors whether the professors can imagine the student in that field, with which Lindquist disagreed, claiming that professors may not always give the most accurate answers to such questions.
Another student asked for advice on how to get past the obstacles they may face while studying. The panelists said that mistakes will always occur, but what is most important is to learn from one's mistakes so that they are not repeated. "It is good to be ambitious, but you should not hold unrealistic expectations for yourself," Ruberman said.
The speakers also discussed the benefits of collaboration and shared how they were often afraid of asking questions when they were in class, which the panelists said was a common fear among students. "I always tell my students that you can email me your question if you are too shy to ask in class and then I post the question without the name for everyone to see," Sciolla said.
Brittney Gardner (GRAD) a student studying Neuroscience, attended the event. "It was really good to hear professors share their experiences and to know that they also had a hard time to be successful. It was nice to hear them be honest and open," she said.
Attendee Sara Gelles-Watnick '17 said that "It enlightened me as to what the future might bring if I continue to pursue science. "In advanced math class with upperclassmen, [I related with] the words of Lindquist since I often feel worried to speak up. I would like to see more symposiums like this in the future and more Brandeis professors in this type of setting," she said.