gcyram

I just graduated from Virginia Tech with two bachelors - one in French and the other in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in religion and culture. I'm staying here for a two year masters program in French and francophone studies but I want to go into. Phd program elsewhere afterwards In anthropology or cultural studies. right now I have a list of about 17 schools with related programs that I could potentially apply to. I have a lot more searching to do and it will be a while before I actually apply but what is the first step? My application process for my masters was super low key since I already knew all the faculty etc. how soon should I contact professors to talk about their research and the programs? Also, I know this is arbitrary but I'm not sure what kinds of schools I should be applying to in regards to what I will be accepted to realistically. I know this is more dependent on what will be a good fit for both me and the professor etc but I really just don't know where to start with trying to figure out what range of schools to apply to (to ensure that I'll get at least one offer). I had a 3.83 GPA, two years of research and two publications in press. I haven't yet taken the GRE (wasn't required for my masters application) so I know that's even less info but hopefully someone can help. Thanks!