…go to office hours just to feel better about yourself.
…GO TO OFFICE HOURS JUST TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF. Follow for more real talk about the Ivy League experience.
We’ve all been there, right? That gnawing feeling, deep down, that maybe you don’t quite belong. Surrounded by a thousand geniuses, every lecture can feel like a personal assessment. You’re acing exams, crushing problem sets, but the imposter syndrome? It’s real. It whispers, “Did you even go to [Ivy] if you didn’t question your own intelligence daily?”
And then there are office hours. Not always for a desperate plea for clarity on a complex theory, or a last-minute grade bump. Sometimes, it was about something far more profound. It was about seeking validation. Walking in, armed with a seemingly intelligent question – one you might already know the answer to – just to hear a professor affirm your engagement, your understanding. That subtle nod, that “good question,” that moment where you felt seen, recognized, intelligent. It was a brief, potent antidote to the constant pressure.
It was a quiet ritual. A way to reclaim a little bit of the confidence that the relentless pace and unparalleled brilliance around you often chipped away at. That fleeting interaction, that momentary connection, could refuel you for another week of intense intellectual combat. It wasn’t about cheating or manipulation; it was about survival, about finding small pockets of reassurance in an environment that constantly pushed you to your limits. It was a unique facet of our shared academic journey, a subtle coping mechanism we rarely talked about, but almost certainly understood.
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