I want to apply for PhDs but I don't feel "clever" enough

[ImposterSyndromeStudent]

I have been putting off applying for PhDs for several months now. I have seen some really good opportunities that align really well with my interests but I always find some tiny fault in them to persuade myself not to apply to them and I let them slip away. I desperately want to do a PhD and be back in academia but I have really bad imposter syndrome and don't feel clever or capable enough to do a PhD.

I don't know why I'm like this. Logically I think I would do well in a PhD as I am motivated, driven and work well under pressure. I did well academically, had high grades and won a few academic awards. Yet I am still hesitant.

I have so many friends and past classmates now doing PhDs and that does help me feel a bit reassured and like "I could do that too" but when it comes to me applying I get paralysed with fear. It sounds so silly but I can't even bring myself to email my old supervisors to ask them if they will be my referee as I am convinced they will laugh and think to themselves I'm not capable enough for a PhD and refuse to give me a reference.

I know I just need to bite the bullet and just apply. Sorry I just wanted to get this off my chest.

do apply. if you have good grades and prizes, then you will be able to do it. And if you apply for one PhD and don't get the position, apply for another. There are lots of opportunities so don't let set backs put you off.

trade secret - many people get a PhD without being super clever. You have to be hard working and independent enough to stick to your project for 3 years without getting distracted. but you don't have to be a genius.

Finally, do contact your previous supervisor & ask them to write references but also ask for advice on where to apply for the PhD. in a PhD, you will be working closely with one supervisor for 3 years. Try to get the gossip on that supervisor and make sure they are someone that you can work with (not a bad apple).

Of course you're clever enough. Besides, it's more about determination and work ethic. You can do it. Take the first step, it will all fall into place from there.

Come on I dare you OP Do it, you won't regret it.

getting a PhD is not about being clever, and those who have a PhD are not automatically cleverer than those who don't.

fundamentally, qualifications standards are:

GCSE - has basic literacy in the subject, can learn and retain simple facts and apply simple techniques in the field.

A-level: somewhat more in-depth understanding and able to understand and use more complex techniques.

Degree: able to follow and reproduce information able the development of the field and could read about and understand current new discoveries, able to apply much more complex techniques and retain a lot of information about the topic.

Masters: more in-depth thinking about "why we know what we know" in a field, including much more engagement with reading up on current research, because this is the best building block towards being able to confidently teach it (up till a few years ago, anyone with a Masters degree could skip doing a PGCE and was considered a qualified teacher on the basis of having a Masters) or to develop the skills for the next stage.

PhD is the level at which you show that you can apply this knowledge independently to something new, where there isn't yet a "right answer" that can be graded, but can do the work to add a brick to the edifice of human knowledge and understanding in the field and can defend your reasoning as to why that snippet of knowledge could be considered correct. holding a PhD means that you have proved you have the skills to do that and need no further direct supervision, you can now work in research and generate new knowledge which then goes through peer review for quality control (and you should be able to be trusted to peer review the work of others too)

in terms of skill and intelligence, a lot of people who leave university with a degree and go into a profession where they use and apply that knowledge and also have to tackle new complex problems where the answers aren't already known, are already functioning at PhD level. it is not to be feared. a PhD should simply be seen as completion of the apprenticeship phase for someone developing a career in academia. you don't need to be a genius, just capable of working hard, reading and understanding the work of those who have been working in the field before you, and developing that thinking by one more original step.

you sound perfectly capable of doing this. go for it.

I didn't stay in academia because I didn't have the drive or determination for it. I now work with loads of people who have PhDs - I don't mean to sound big-headed, but I'm smarter than most of them in terms of raw intelligence and problem solving ability, however I don't have the character attributes necessary to complete something like a PhD as I'm too easily distracted. As PPs have said, if you have the character and enough intelligence for a PhD (which you clearly do from your academic record so far), then you can do it (and be very proud of that achievement)

trade secret - many people get a PhD without being super clever. You have to be hard working and independent enough to stick to your project for 3 years without getting distracted. but you don't have to be a genius.

This!!! This is me. Dr Me in fact!!

The great thing about a PhD is that there are no right or wrong answers.

Please have faith in yourself and apply. You will definitely not get an offer if you don’t.