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Reference Letters with Poor Class Attendance/Participation?

Hi guys.

I’m a second-year student at the LSE for MSc Politics and Economics.

These two years have been a bit overwhelming for me. I have an average of 2:1 so far and a 1st on my Economic modules, but to be honest I’ve skipped most classes and have not handed most of my courseworks (they are formative so they don’t count towards my grades). Moreover, all lectures have been online so I haven’t really met any of my lecturers.

I am thinking about applying for a Master in Economics in Germany but they are asking me to provide two reference letters. Who should I ask for these references? None of the lecturers knows me at all and I am a bit afraid that my tutor or seminars’ teachers (who are postgraduate students) might write “bad” references due to my poor class attendance/work submissions or little participation in class?

Are references really that important or do teachers just write generic stuff based on my exam grades (they represent 100% of my degree assessment)? Should I be really worried about it?

Thank you in advance :smile:
Original post by mattshea
Hi guys.

I’m a second-year student at the LSE for MSc Politics and Economics.

These two years have been a bit overwhelming for me. I have an average of 2:1 so far and a 1st on my Economic modules, but to be honest I’ve skipped most classes and have not handed most of my courseworks (they are formative so they don’t count towards my grades). Moreover, all lectures have been online so I haven’t really met any of my lecturers.

I am thinking about applying for a Master in Economics in Germany but they are asking me to provide two reference letters. Who should I ask for these references? None of the lecturers knows me at all and I am a bit afraid that my tutor or seminars’ teachers (who are postgraduate students) might write “bad” references due to my poor class attendance/work submissions or little participation in class?

Are references really that important or do teachers just write generic stuff based on my exam grades (they represent 100% of my degree assessment)? Should I be really worried about it?

Thank you in advance :smile:


Germany may be different, but in the UK they are quite important at PG level. You need to be strategic (and in a future career as well) and always consider how you can cultivate relationships that will give you decent references. As I say though, the German system might take a different approach.

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