are feelings of "not enough" reinforced because of your environment

I didn't know until my 30th college anniversary that so many classmates came from backgrounds just like mine -- and that we were not the minority of students but equal and possibly the majority. Why did we feel like we didn't belong. There were many factors, such as social clubs that had few members but an oppressive presence. My surprize realization was perhaps it was the campus itself, the architechture, the age, the old world beautity that reinforced identity threat. Like someone like me wasn't meant to walk those hallowed grounds and that every day, those feelings were reinforced.