This might help:
List of questions for potential advisor, DGS, and current graduate students, from the AHA web page.
https://secure.historians.org/projects/cge/PhD/decision.cfm#decision
Hi! Thanks for all the information you have provided. It has been unbelievable useful (this is my 1st cycle applying to US graduate programs).
I just wanted to ask a simple question: is it common for POI's to contact you before any official communication of admission? Is it a department/university thing? Or depends entirely on the POI?
Thanks!