AIBU to sneak into uni lectures even though i'm not a student

[Lecture]

I am in fact a SAHM . We live in a university town and every Wednesday my DM has the baby for the morning so I get a break. About a month ago I ordered a book from waterstones and picked it up from the university branch. I'd never been on the campus before and couldn't believe there was no security or need to show any student ID. After i'd been to Waterstones I got a cup of coffee at one of the cafes and had a wander round the grounds.

Its lovely there, lots of (cheap) restaurants and cafeterias and you don't need to show ID to use them

The next week I went there for lunch and looked around the library for a few hours.

Today I was wandering around and sat on the bench outside the lecture hall. There were hundreds of students milling around and the lecture schedule on a big flat screen TV on the outside wall. Anyway i watched them going in to each room and there were loads of spaces in the halls (big double doors open so i could see in). Then I was looking at the schedule and there were lots of interesting sounding lectures on. It suddenly occurred to me that i could probably just go in and sit in on one without being noticed by anyone. There were quite a few mature students so I don't think i'd stick out too much.

Now i'm home I think I might be being a bit mental (and possibly a bit post natal) to consider essentially stealing lectures I haven't paid for. I haven't told DH or DM i've been hanging around the uni

AIBU (or do you think I could get away with it)

BTW, can't believe the username Lecture wasn't taken!

I'm a university lecturer and I wouldn't mind well-behaved attentive extras in a lecture.

It doesn't make any more work or spoil it for anyone else.

I often let in extra people to my teaching who aren't the official course students, though they're usually already connected to the university.

But yes many universities have a lot of free events, often with famous speakers. Well worth checking.

I think university security is very variable. The one where I taught suddenly got very serious about checking id cards after it had some threats from animal rights activists, and we had actual students thrown out of lectures by security for forgetting their id despite us vouching for them.

I suppose security could stop me. But there are amazon drop boxes and a waterstones on campus which are for public use (which I didn't actually know about until a month ago). There's no physical security, lots of carparks around the outside of campus and then you just walk in.

The students were tapping a card on a box next to the door when they went in, probably an attendance thing?

You got into a uni library without a card or ID?!

Yanbu, OP! Actually, I'd love to be able to do the same!

As for those questioning the ethical aspect of it, it's not as though the OP is sitting exams or handing in essays to be marked. It won't make an iota of difference to the lecturer whether there's one more person in the room or not.

I'm a post-grad and at my uni you need to show ID to get in to the library or buy stuff from the cafe. I worked at another uni where you needed ID to even get on campus!

I'd say you're fine but I would ask yourself if it's not worth doing a course - you might enjoy it!

I went to a non-campus uni, no security at all, and anyone could have wandered in to lectures. Maybe they did!

OP, you may not have paid for the uni course but really, the lecturer will be giving the lecture anyway, so you being there makes no difference. I'd go. Pick an interesting one!!

I'd go. Sounds fun and its not doing any harm to any one.

I agree with the others - I'm a lecturer and would be happy to have you there, although I would be annoyed if the room was very full and students who were registered couldn't find space (but that isn't the case here).

As someone else said, lots of lectures are open to the public. I think for us, there's a line somewhere in the published lecture list saying you ought to contact the lecturer and ask to come, but I doubt anyone would mind.

The only other thing I would find tricky, and I can't imagine you'd do it, would be if you were asking questions that students didn't need to ask. I've had visiting students (who are certainly entitled to come to my lectures) who've really slowed things down by asking questions that are very basic. I have to answer because they are allowed to attend, but I really struggle with balancing that against not wasting everyone else's time. (This is, I guess, really a gripe with whoever has failed to tell their visiting students that they probably need to read x, y and z before the lecture, or put up with not understanding all of it!).

I've often thought this! Ours used to have hundreds in, no-one knew each other. I don't think it's bad, yes they've paid but they're getting a degree at the end.

I'm in my 2nd year and have NEVER been asked for ID. The only time I need it is in exams or to get into the library.

I went to a few lectures that weren't anything to do with my course, when I was a student. Nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't sneak in to a tutorial or seminar but think a lecture is fair enough, if there's no 'security'. I went to two central London universities and only ever got asked for my ID twice, when there was some big security panic for some reason. This lasted a week then things went back to normal! And this was on entering the main building, not into a particular lecture. Some buildings were only accessible by swiping your ID though.

Lighthearted word of warning though: I went to one of my friend's biomedical lectures and as it happens, it was one where the lecturer was talking about female fertility. He went on and on about how much better it was to have your kids young. Scared the shit out of me and I ended up getting married right out of uni and having both my children by the age of 26, having never thought that would be my life plan Apparently I missed the next week's lecture which balanced it out a bit more... shows the dangers of not following a complete course

If you decide not to, there are plenty of very interesting lectures online, some only audio other audio and video. Not quite the same, but you may enjoy it more not having to go "undercover"
Here is an example: www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl/audio

I think you're great Op/ Rita! You have made my day! I would have loved to have bumped into you in a lecture and yes I think most lecturers would be flattered and in supportb of you Rita.

I'd do it! You could always play stupid if you got caught (though from what you have described, I doubt you would!)

I guess the card tapping thing is attendance, yes.

Yes, Clouds protecting the books is usually the high priority.

I wonder where OP is that they don't even do that? 1978?

Honest to god no ID to get into the library. Need to exit through barriers that go off if you haven't checked a book out and librarians were checking bags. That was it

It's a bit off topic but have you seen edx.org. Loads and loads of university courses from some of the best universities in the world. Free to access!

If I wasn't actually a part time student at the moment (and therefore have not time to study for fun) I'd be spending lots of evenings ploughing through them.

You might be on to something here - it sounds quite fun

YABU. Students have to pay thousands to attend uni, why should you pop in and get things for free?

You'd probably get away with it for a bit. But at some point I bet a student would start to make small talk with you or something and ask what course you were on, etc etc. Then you are in danger of either having to out yourself or start telling lies. I wouldn't to be honest.

On an aside, do you think you might be missing being with other people / doing things that don't involve being a mother? Sneaking into the local Uni facilities each week just sounds slightly unhealthy and a bit odd.

I'm not telling you which uni it is! I'm going to go to one of the anthropology lectures next week.

Might even buy myself a satchel

How daring and rather admirable!

Ds had to attend something at the local university, and to kill time I went into the Students Union for a coffee. Er, big mistake. I felt as if I'd been let out of the old people's home and it was a bit... smelly and studenty. So I drifted out and saw the lecturers' and post-grads' special restaurant and - in spite of no ID - walked in and had a very nice coffee and pastry. I felt as if I'd sneaked into the staffroom (a strange place at school full of smoke that no pupil ever went in) and was masquerading as a grown up.

I don't see a problem with it OP. I wonder though if you've seen Futurelearn? You could do an online course for free (and buy a certificate for about £30 afterwards). Some of them are openly marketing for the uni's pay-for courses, eg I did a cultural studies one run by Bristol University who then tried to sell their MA to me. But it was a great course.

I am surprised you got into the library without ID though. Back in the mists of time you always needed to swipe your ID card to get into my uni's library.