Sneakily Auditing A Class

[realitybias]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Anyone ever sneakily audited a class without informing the professor or the registrar? My school requires you pay for any class you audit, so I don't know what the penalty would be for not paying. If I get caught the first few days, I can always say, "You sure I'm not on there? Whoops. Must have dropped the class." or something. If so, what size class do you think is suitable to audit without drawing any attention to yourself? These are the class sizes...

10-40 people
40 - 60 people
60 - 100 people
100+
Or is auditing without paying a bad idea?

I hear of several people that do it, so if you don't mind my asking, please enlighten me with your experiences.

 

[realitybias]

The class in question, by the way, is biochemistry, with a class size of 74 people. I want to get a good foothold in it for the MCATs.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

The class in question, by the way, is biochemistry, with a class size of 74 people. I want to get a good foothold in it for the MCATs.

Just ask the professor; They might not care at all. Some people appreciate you asking instead of just ignoring the rules. The professor will probably think "Gosh, he's not like all the other immature students but actually communicated his reasons for auditing my class in a thoughtful, adult, professional way. Amazing!" Might even end up being a good LOR opportunity.

Of course the professor could just be an ass as well, so you'll have to judge that for yourself.

 

[realitybias]

Just ask the professor; They might not care at all. Some people appreciate you asking instead of just ignoring the rules. Might even end up being a good LOR opportunity.

Of course the professor could just be an ass as well, so you'll have to judge that for yourself.

Well, his Ratemyprofessor rating isnt too bad. He seems like a nice guy. I guess I can ask him, I just hope I don't have to pay... I barely have any money as it is.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Well, his Ratemyprofessor rating isnt too bad. He seems like a nice guy. I guess I can ask him, I just hope I don't have to pay... I barely have any money as it is.

Exactly why you approach him and explain that you don't have a lot of money, and if he would mind if you just sat in on the lectures (no exams, that just eats up his time) so that you can absorb the material.

I know my biochemistry professor tried to get to recognize everyone in class (we had about 40 students, more before the first test was graded), so with a small class you are more at risk for getting caught "cheating the system".

 

[realitybias]

Exactly why you approach him and explain that you don't have a lot of money, and if he would mind if you just sat in on the lectures (no exams, that just eats up his time) so that you can absorb the material.

Sounds good. Thanks for the advice. I will, in that case. 👍

 

[DrBowtie]

You could probably easily get away with it, but I agree with just asking the professor.

Secondly, don't waste your time on Biochem for the MCAT. Its not needed.

 

[postbacker]

You have received good advice here.

Might I add that if you make yourself known to the prof and he allows it, you need to show up to the classes on time (don't leave early, either), and if you ever decide to stop attending, to tell him so...in other words, don't be a nuisance to him or the other students.

 

[realitybias]

You have received good advice here.

Might I add that if you make yourself known to the prof and he allows it, you need to show up to the classes on time (don't leave early, either), and if you ever decide to stop attending, to tell him so...in other words, don't be a nuisance to him or the other students.

I would never think about leaving early. I respect professors a lot and I respect what they do. I'm actually doing a bit of distance learning right now over the summer with some webcasts. I just like learning on my own without the pressure of tests, so that later on, when I actually take the class, I'll be very prepared. This is how I taught myself calculus, physics, and basic biology. It's just a "study strategy" of mine.


Thanks for the replies folks.

 

[etf]

i used to audit classes all the time, especially humanities and such that i couldn't fit into my pre-med schedule. luckily i went to a school where the class sizes are in the 500-1000 range, so it didn't matter.

 

[carina nebula]

i agree that biochem isn't really needed on the mcat. plus, in my experience of auditing classes, i have learned basically NOTHING because i neglected them for more pressing things (classes i am registered for, work, mcat studying, etc. etc. etc.). my guess is you might better spend the time studying mcat stuff? the only thing that biochem helped me wiht on the mcat was really understanding enzyme kinetics and oxygen dissociation curves. other than that, it won't really help.

 

[riceman04]

You could probably easily get away with it, but I agree with just asking the professor.

Secondly, don't waste your time on Biochem for the MCAT. Its not needed.

I agree...it really is not needed...the stuff that does show up is pretty basic

 

[omegaxx]

i agree that biochem isn't really needed on the mcat. plus, in my experience of auditing classes, i have learned basically NOTHING because i neglected them for more pressing things (classes i am registered for, work, mcat studying, etc. etc. etc.). my guess is you might better spend the time studying mcat stuff? the only thing that biochem helped me wiht on the mcat was really understanding enzyme kinetics and oxygen dissociation curves. other than that, it won't really help.

Seconded. I get nothing out of auditting a class. It's only under the necessity of having to study for exams do I discover all the holes in my knowledge and work somewhat hard towards amending them.

 

[Sondra]

Just ask the professor; They might not care at all. Some people appreciate you asking instead of just ignoring the rules. The professor will probably think "Gosh, he's not like all the other immature students but actually communicated his reasons for auditing my class in a thoughtful, adult, professional way. Amazing!" Might even end up being a good LOR opportunity.

Of course the professor could just be an ass as well, so you'll have to judge that for yourself.

I did this. I just asked the professor. He was happy to let me sit in on his class as long as I didn't distract the students who were paying. I was welcome to attend and not take the tests. It was great. Every year, I sat through classes that I couldn't fit into my schedule and weren't required for my biology major - such as - literature, history, religion, and philosophy classes.

 

[vincikai]

lets see...i have audited baby bio, baby chem, orgo, phy, biochem, eng writing, anatomy, histology, phycal chem, multivariable calculus (i even took the exams and final and got a 97 avg kinda pissed at myslef didnt take this class for real lol), complex equations ...ect.
i prop learned more from auditing classes than my actual school work. 😎

look, just ask the professor before you audit, if the professor turns out to be an Ass why in the hell would you want to continue audit that class? 😴

 

[apnea]

i've done it. it wasn't at my school though, my father tried to pretend he actually liked being a dad and made us all go on holidays with him...to the beach.

For anyone who doesn't know, i'm allergic to sunlight. Not in the way that gothy emo kids are allergic to sunlight, in the way that vampires would be allergic to sunlight if they actually existed. i can develop really gross burns in about 15 minutes of exposure.

So, yeah. Dad took us to the beach. So i went to school. It was neat, one of the classes i went to was a women's sexuality class, i got a free dental dam.

But i was 16, i had no idea what it was 🙁

 

[apnea]

Also, i applaud your use of the word "sneakily."

 

[realitybias]

Heh. Thanks for the "Sneakily" comment.

Actually, I'm not only trying to learn biochem for the mcats, but just to get a better grasp on biology as a whole. I'm learning organic chem and human anatomy over the summer, but there are a few classes that I would love to audit simply to learn more than what I already know.

You guys are great, though. Thanks for the advice. I might also audit a physics class.

 

[diosa428]

Heh. Thanks for the "Sneakily" comment.

Actually, I'm not only trying to learn biochem for the mcats, but just to get a better grasp on biology as a whole. I'm learning organic chem and human anatomy over the summer, but there are a few classes that I would love to audit simply to learn more than what I already know.

You guys are great, though. Thanks for the advice. I might also audit a physics class.

Wait, when are you taking orgo and when are you auditing? Biochem is probably not going to make any sense if you haven't taken orgo yet. Or at least the parts I remember...

 

[realitybias]

Wait, when are you taking orgo and when are you auditing? Biochem is probably not going to make any sense if you haven't taken orgo yet. Or at least the parts I remember...

I'm actually really big into the whole "Self teaching" thing, and I'm learning orgo over the summer. I am officially taking the class next year.

 

[apnea]

do audit classes actually show up on your transcript? do adcoms look at it like "ohh, right, weird little white chick only got an A in orgo because she audited it first."

 

[crazydiamond]

do audit classes actually show up on your transcript? do adcoms look at it like "ohh, right, weird little white chick only got an A in orgo because she audited it first."

At the university I attended, audited classed did show up on your transcript. So yeah, adcoms would know. And what's even more lame is that they charge the same tuition fees as regular, graded students. 🙄

If you do it unofficially, though, they obviously wouldn't know. So if you're concerned, better do it this way.

 

[blueperson]

I'm stuck in a weird situtation between two different schools (trying to take Organic II after having Organic I at another university). Long story but has to do with what time of day they are offered, when I can/can't get instate tuition, etc. Organic II is a five week course. I did very badly on the first exam (last night) so an A is out of the question. I don't believe I can drop the lecture without dropping the lab too. Anyway, since the best I can do is get a B (and with 400/500 of the points in the class left to go, I can't lose much. Problem is back at the other school their sequence is to have Gen Chem II after Organic I and Organic II so I'm stuck there. I do want to take Organic where I'm at now with this professor but it'd be next summer again. Does auditing look bad (If I audit lecture there is a chance the school might not kick me out of the lab so I can at least get that done)? There is no guarantee I can get an A on all of the remaining material in the five week course (we still have the 2nd, 3rd, and final exams). There are definitely differences in what was covered between the two schools (curricula don't match up in their Organic sequence topics).

 

[crunchymilk]

I agree that biochem isn't necessary for the MCAT, but i would HIGHLY recommend it. Definitely get in the first biochem at least. Questions on the MCAT are never that detailed, but you will learn so much about how everything works that you can apply it to the more simpler stuff. Not only that, but biochem tests usually require deep thinking/analyzing skills. I took both and got a 14 on the bio section, and I largely think taking the classes was a reason. If you take the 2nd biochem, and you happen to get a passage on your mcat about body metabolism, then you will nail that passage.

 

[sle3pyguii]

I audited one of my classes before. THe policy at my school for auditing is that we have to do it before the week of the first midterm.

I "failed" to mention that my class had a midterm the week I was requesting my audit, and I got it auditted without problems.

 

[achamess]

Hey realitybias,
Your attitude to learning and to preparing yourself academically for future course work is very admirable. I am doing the same thing with Biochemistry right now, reading all the chapters on the fall syllabus. I did the same thing with Orgo last year, and I plan to use this strategy with Physical Chemistry as well. The benefits of this approach are unbeatable. If you expose yourself to the information beforehand, going through a class is like a review. With the lessened intellectual burden on acquiring new information, more time can be spent in application, like problem solving. You will find this especially helpful with Orgo, I promise.

As for auditing, my school doesn't make us pay, but I always ask beforehand. I have never been turned down, and better yet, asking for the professor's permission affords you a good opportunity to make yourself known to someone who might end up becoming a valuable mentor and supporter of your future endeavors.

Ditto as well to what people have said about the humanities classes. I'd love to take so many courses outside my major, but they often just don't fit into the schedule on all days, and what's more, at this point in the game, it's difficult to justify taking classes I don't really "need" when I am struggling to pay for the ones I really do need. For example, I've got this Classical Greek class I worked to start up last year. Sadly, the very class I worked to create is incompatible with other required classes. However, you can bet that I'll be sneaking into that class not a few times. Auditing is great.

Best of luck and keep up the good work.

 

[stat3113]

I think this depends completely on the school. At my school (a large top-ranked state school), basically for any class above a certain size (say 40 people), ANYONE can walk in and sit through it without any enforcement of actually registering/paying/etc.

It figures since its a college town and most of the kids there are getting their degrees, and really whats the point of going to every class and not getting credit. But due to the largeness of the school, I think someone could complete an entire undergrad education without paying a penny just be attending classes- of course, there would also be no DEGREE, lol.

I'm interested in how this would work at the top schools. Ie can I just go to Harvard and sit in on some big classes? Interesting to think about.

 

[mvenus929]

I think it depends a lot on the professor, and on the size of the class. My chemistry professor (both gen chem and o chem) didn't even bother getting to know the people behind the first row, because the class had 120 students in it. Generally, the people that sat in the front row were the people that wanted to get to know him anyway. Same with my cell bio class... he would just get up at the front of the class and start talking, not caring who was or wasn't there.

But for my physiology class, we had about 60 people in there, and out professor insisted on getting to know everyone. He did a pretty good job at it, too.

 

[Flopotomist]

I gotta agree with the posters saying don't do the biochem if you are doing to for MCAT help.

Your time would be better spent reviewing MCAT review books than auditing the class.

 

[Hurricane95]

What's the big deal with auditing? If the class size is significantly large (50+ people) then just go and sit quietly further towards the back of the lecture hall and do your thing. Just don't disturb the prof and don't come to exams. I've never heard of anyone putting an audited class on their transcript. It's not like most profs even remember who's in their class anyway, unless the class is seminar/discussion style with like 10 people or something.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

What's the big deal with auditing? If the class size is significantly large (50+ people) then just go and sit quietly further towards the back of the lecture hall and do your thing. Just don't disturb the prof and don't come to exams. I've never heard of anyone putting an audited class on their transcript. It's not like most profs even remember who's in their class anyway, unless the class is seminar/discussion style with like 10 people or something.

At many schools, you can't just go and take a seat. Sometimes professors bend the rules and allow students to do that, but many colleges require that you officially register and PAY for any course you audit. On your transcript, they will list the course with an X next to it, meaning that you audited that course. According to AMCAS, you have to report that. If the prof bends the rules and allows you not to register for the class, then AMCAS has no way of knowing since the school won't know and therefore it won't be on your transcript, but if you follow the rules and register to audit a course, you have to claim it on AMCAS.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Seconded. I get nothing out of auditting a class. It's only under the necessity of having to study for exams do I discover all the holes in my knowledge and work somewhat hard towards amending them.

Then ask the prof to let you take the exams. I've done this several times and I have yet to be told that I could not. If they realize (in my case) or think (in most of the rest of your cases) you are just in it for the learning experience, then most profs will be as supportive as possible.