Thank you for bringing this important distinction to our attention! I am not an international student, and I truly can’t imagine the added stress of being thrown into a teaching setting within the first semester. The points you present (as well as the additional comments in Homero’s post) are important for all of us to consider who are teaching to a diverse audience.

In this stage of my academic career, I agree that I no longer require grades to motivate me for my classes. However, I must admit that if it wasn’t for my impending preliminary exams, I would not be revisiting much of the crucial material I learned during my first two years in graduate school. I was lucky enough to study abroad in New Zealand during undergrad, where class grades were based EXCLUSIVELY on our final exam grade. I learned very quickly (through failing my first class, Genetics) that I absolutely needed graded milestones to keep me motivated throughout the semester. While this doesn’t apply to every student, I do think it applies to many. I believe the need for external motivation is even greater for younger students, or those who have not yet learned how to be professional learners.

This is a really well written article- thank you for posting something easy to read! I am working on my Ph.D. in the sciences, and have felt similar internal doubt many times through my collegiate career. However, I also think participation in higher education is a privilege and investment. At this point in our education, we are old enough to be accountable for our decision to pursue further education. We are aware of the significant amount of time and money required to earn various degrees, and it is up to us to muster the internal motivation to complete these degrees to the best of our abilities. This means valuing ourselves and our time enough to routinely question if the trajectory we chose is right for us.