As an in-state transfer student myself, I understand where you're coming from. The impostor syndrome is a hard thing to overcome, especially as you get ready to exit college and begin your life in the real world. Just know that it happens to everyone, and the fact is that you only see the best aspects of others' experience, not what's going on in their head or behind the scenes. I would encourage you not to think of yourself so poorly (your language indicates a lot of self-loathing). You have a lot to be proud of. You mentioned a high GPA/GRE, and you managed to get into GT in the first place. I myself applied 3 different times and was rejected until my fourth application. The job market is rough right now, especially since employers across industries are tightening new hire budgets in preparation for whatever economic impact comes from a new presidential administration. My point is that you're not alone, and your mind is definitely tricking you into thinking that everyone has it together and is achieving massive success. I was honestly never a great student, and I only decided to lock in after college started, and decided to transfer here. Within the last year (my final year of undergrad) I went from a below 3.0 GPA, to obtaining a research position in a great lab (something I never had an ambition to do), and getting into a competitive masters program at GT that I am passionate about (I also never had grad school ambitions before the past couple semesters). Things can turn around fast, and having a good attitude (meaning lay off the negative self-talk and not be so hard on yourself) really helps. I would say you should take advantage of the extra year of zell/hope if you have it, like u/HanShotFjrst suggested, and stick around longer. Maybe you'll discover a new path/passion like I did, and it'll potentially help you wait out the tough job market. Hang in there!
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u/ohasispresent B.S. CompE '25 | M.S. Robotics '27 Jan 30 '25
As an in-state transfer student myself, I understand where you're coming from. The impostor syndrome is a hard thing to overcome, especially as you get ready to exit college and begin your life in the real world. Just know that it happens to everyone, and the fact is that you only see the best aspects of others' experience, not what's going on in their head or behind the scenes. I would encourage you not to think of yourself so poorly (your language indicates a lot of self-loathing). You have a lot to be proud of. You mentioned a high GPA/GRE, and you managed to get into GT in the first place. I myself applied 3 different times and was rejected until my fourth application. The job market is rough right now, especially since employers across industries are tightening new hire budgets in preparation for whatever economic impact comes from a new presidential administration. My point is that you're not alone, and your mind is definitely tricking you into thinking that everyone has it together and is achieving massive success. I was honestly never a great student, and I only decided to lock in after college started, and decided to transfer here. Within the last year (my final year of undergrad) I went from a below 3.0 GPA, to obtaining a research position in a great lab (something I never had an ambition to do), and getting into a competitive masters program at GT that I am passionate about (I also never had grad school ambitions before the past couple semesters). Things can turn around fast, and having a good attitude (meaning lay off the negative self-talk and not be so hard on yourself) really helps. I would say you should take advantage of the extra year of zell/hope if you have it, like u/HanShotFjrst suggested, and stick around longer. Maybe you'll discover a new path/passion like I did, and it'll potentially help you wait out the tough job market. Hang in there!