Why did I get into Harvard?
It’s the question that plagues every admitted high school senior and new Harvard first-year. Everyone remembers Ivy Day: every nerve in your body awake, hands shaking as you typed in your portal password, involuntarily screaming at the sight of confetti. But soon, the initial shock wears off, and you’re left to wonder: why me?
We long believed that getting into a school like Harvard would make all our worries disappear, but it really only transforms them. Harvard undergraduates continue to experience unprecedented stress in the competitive landscape of academics and extracurricular clubs, in addition to the continuous need to prove one’s worthiness for this school.
This impossibly high-achieving landscape can quickly leave new students feeling isolated, alone, and unworthy, a term psychologists have named imposter syndrome. Though it is not a clinical diagnosis, most professionals agree that it is a very real phenomenon that often prompts anxiety and stress, described by the American Psychological Association as a form of “intellectual self-doubt.” At Harvard, this feels like not belonging, not deserving acceptance, or not measuring up to peers.
“I think initially when you get in and you first really experience the people that have also gotten in with you, you do feel a little bit of that imposter syndrome,” said an anonymous undergraduate. “Like, ‘what special thing did I necessarily do to get in?’ Because there are so many amazingly talented people here.”
In general, Ivy League students can be more susceptible to high levels of stress. College Magazine named Harvard the most stressful college in the country, and Surviving Ivy claims Ivy League students can be up to three times more likely to experience anxiety and stress than the average college student. On a national level, all colleges are experiencing a mental health crisis, with over 73% of surveyed undergraduates having experienced a mental health crisis during their four years. Knowing that Harvard students are more likely than students from less competitive schools to experience behavioral health issues and that imposter syndrome is a common cause of anxiety, we began to wonder: could this self-doubt be contributing to Harvard’s high-stress norm?
Our peers say yes. “I put a lot of stress on myself, like, mostly unnecessary stress,” said one female first-year, “to like, kind of justify to myself that I deserve to be here.” For new undergraduates, imposter syndrome can be a breeding ground for low self-esteem and, consequently, self-imposed stress.
Perhaps the institution contributes to these sentiments. The expectations, for some, just seem to climb higher and higher, as Harvard attracts high-profile individuals to campus events such as the recent inauguration of the University’s new president, Claudine Gay. While students celebrated this joyous and monumental event, they also felt the pressure of sharing a space with household names. “I definitely feel imposter syndrome on this campus because Angela Bassett is here right now,” said Elyse Gonsalves ’27, after hearing rumors of the actress’s appearance on campus. Harvard’s plethora of famous graduates and guests can make students feel like they have to live up to the Angela Bassetts of the world, despite still being young adults.
And it doesn’t stop here—these stressors worm their way into students’ extracurriculars, too. As most undergraduate students have come to realize from sharing meals with strangers in Annenberg and striking up conversations with classmates in lectures, everyone here at Harvard uniquely pursued their passions in high school. Many of our peers were the founders of their own non-profit organizations, acted as student body presidents, or traveled the world for community service projects, all while juggling the responsibilities of being a teenager. It’s clear that in the few weeks we have spent on campus, this ever-present desire to have a packed Google Calendar and commit to as many extracurricular activities as possible is the norm.
Considering the multiple academic and extracurricular fairs organized by the College and required meetings with Peer Advising Fellows (PAFs) or academic advisors, undergraduate students are expected to have a rudimentary understanding of the resources and club communities available for them to join. However, as many of our peers have stated, what is less well known upon arrival is how stressful applying, or “comping,” for these clubs would be. “Finding out that, oh, you have to comp for these clubs and, like, put in a bunch of time before you were even in it was kinda daunting and I didn’t expect it,” said another female first-year.
Despite a selective comp or application process, undergraduate students are united by the desire to be part of a community here on campus—a home away from home to meet like-minded individuals and pursue meaningful passions. However, when that competitive club on campus doesn’t offer you a second round interview, students become discouraged from putting themselves out there again in the future. “[I put in] a lot of time, a lot of effort,” one female first-year noted. “[Rejection] is really, really disappointing.”
Fortunately, some students have conquered their imposter syndrome and are able to simply enjoy their time here. Wyatt Croog ’27 explained, “You belong here for a reason, whatever that reason may be.” Nigel Savage ’27 relays to us his mom’s favorite phrase: “No one else is better than you, but you’re better than no one else.” It’s hard to imagine one student telling another that they don’t belong, or don’t deserve their acceptance. So why are we so needlessly harsh on ourselves?
The answer is, of course, that Harvard students are rigorous, and expect from themselves only greatness. It’s what makes us academically successful. It’s what drives us. But being so self-critical only makes the competitive environment more toxic. It is our collective responsibility to expect less perfection and more compassion, from ourselves and others.
We encourage you to enjoy the process, as we will attempt to do for the next four years: to learn from our mistakes, support each other through the failures, and show courage and kindness (especially to ourselves) at every step.
Emmie Palfrey ’27 (epalfrey@college.harvard.edu) was sad not to see Angela Bassett in the Yard on Friday.Ava Rem ’27 (avarem@college.harvard.edu) felt imposter syndrome as she interviewed awesome undergraduates for this article.