The Crisis of Application

[mozartjamesjoycesodomy]

jumping ahead a few months to fall 2019...does anyone have thoughts (i mean concerns here) about asking for rec letters from profs who were formerly faculty members at the school one is applying to? 

[dilby]

Hello, that's one hell of a username you've got there. I would actually see this as more of an advantage to your application than a setback, unless the faculty member left on really bad terms with the DGS? but I would hope that these people would be willing to set aside their petty grievances in the name of finding applicants who are a great fit for the program.

Being a faculty member at one of your departments would give a recommender key insights into the character and atmosphere of the institution. They would have an easier time making an argument for why you are precisely the kind of student the department needs, and help you craft your profile and SoP to fit the bill.

Maybe there's something I'm not considering, but I would see this as a big plus.

[rhetoricus aesalon]

I wouldn’t actively go seeking letters from former profs of the school you’re applying to, but if it just so happens that they were that doesn’t seem like cause for concern.

I’m assuming this person worked with graduate students and left on good terms? If not, I still don’t think anyone would hold this LOR against you, but it really wouldn’t be all that helpful to you either.