Can a non-traditional student auditing a course get LOR

[d1ch3ng]

Hello,

is there any non-traditional student here who has gotten letters of recommendation from professors whose class you audit?

I'm thinking of auditing classes to establish academic credentials since it's been 10 years since my graduation. I appreciate any inputs/feedback. Thanks!

[amlobo]

I am in a similar situation, but it's been 6 years since I graduated. I don't have the time to audit a class, but a professor I know is going to look over my work and write me a rec. She said that it would be well-received because she knows me well and has the credentials to comment on my suitability for graduate study. I really think any professor who can look over your work and discuss your fitness as a candidate intelligently is an asset. Who cares if you didn't take a class with them that's on your transcript? That's my feeling, anyway.

As a nontraditional student, I really think that it's more important to have someone who knows you currently write an LOR than some professor who doesn't remember you at all. I will add, however, that I am getting one of my recommendations from my undergrad advisor, who is probably the only prof who remembers me.

[emmm]

I think auditing is a mistake -- you should commit to the class and take it for a grade. That will provide proof to the admissions committee that you can actually still perform in an academic setting. Auditing does not really do this, as you are risking nothing and need not do any work. I was out of school for over 15 years, and went back and took a number of classes. Once I got admitted to grad school, I took some classes as an auditing student, just for the pleasure of learning the material. I wanted to have fun and not feel burnt out before grad school started. However, at that point, I'd already taken 6 or more (lost count) classes relevant to my field for grades.