Dear Upperclassman: How Do I Survive as an Imposter?

HumorDear Upperclassman: How Do I Survive as an Imposter?Struggling with imposter syndrome at Stuy? An upperclassman offers some foolproof advice on how to survive among the sharks.Reading Time: 4 minutesBy Zoe Serin YoonIssue 5, Volume 117 || 2026-2027By Maya Ayupova Dear Upperclassman, Everyone’s getting ready to be somebody they’re not for Halloween, but I’ve been doing that since the first day of school. How do I get over this imposter syndrome? I was already feeling insecure, but now that I’m here, I’m sort of freaking out. Everyone is even smarter than I imagined. Why does everything we’re learning seem to be review for everyone else? Did I miss some sort of underground Stuy prep class that started in kindergarten? Like, why does everyone just know stuff? It’s like they’re human ChatGPTs!Honestly, I don’t even know how I got here. I guessed on the last 20 questions of the SHSAT and somehow made the cut. I’m starting to think I got in because of some administrative error.

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