ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the emotional costs of attending Ivy University. The "imposter syndrome" was identified by instructors and students as a response to being in an environment that often positioned these students as marginal participants or outsiders. The instructors who spoke of the imposter syndrome observed a change in dress and behavior by Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) students as a way to fit in with the culture of the campus, examples of code switching that could reduce the stigma of being perceived as too different. Howard Greene found that students at select colleges face an extraordinary amount of stress in the demanding social hothouse of the college campus. Paolo was attempting to cope with ethnic, racial, and economic issues that Greene mentioned, with even more stigmatization generated by sexual identity issues. Chandra Mohanty acknowledges the challenge that "marginal people" experience within higher education when attempting to carve out spaces for education, not just schooling, within the academy.
