unpretentious username

Oh please. Write the letter and have the guy sign it. If he disagrees with anything in it he will change it. This is the best possible outcome as there is no other way you will be able to control exactly what goes in your LOR.

Read more. Practice with LSAT RC sections. They're much harder but will help develop your focus and ability to read difficult material. Throw all those junk prep books away and develop your skills.

I don't think extra-curriculars are important at all. Stuff like Anthropology Club is just resume filler honestly. Professors are looking for students with the potential to become scholars in the discipline and that is best demonstrated through your grades, your recommendations, your research, your presentations, and your writing sample.

I don't want to hurt my chances, let alone kill them. I guess I'm just wondering how useful it is to contact professors in general.

What do you think of just sending a brief note of introduction and interest without engaging in a back and forth about the specifics of their research? In other words, just getting my name out there without overdoing it and trying too hard.

to answer my own question and potentially help some other wayward seeker, I found this: http://www.sha.org/students_teachers/higher_education.cfm

And is this common? I don't mean faking transcripts or intercepting and falsifying GRE scores, I mean stuff like presenting a poster at some obscure undergrad conference or club (but not really), inventing an internship or volunteer opportunity or maybe even a modest departmental award. Do adcomms make any attempt to verify the softer parts of an application? And if not, doesn't this seem like an invitation for desperate students to try and take advantage given how competitive admissions have become and the time and money at stake. And to head off the obvious question, NO, I don't plan on doing this myself. I'm just wondering if this is common and what checks are in place to prevent this kind of stuff.

I understand that it can never hurt to get one's name out there and establish rapport, but is it necessary to contact individual professors to ask if they are taking students and tell them about your research interests? I guess in a larger sense my question is about whether or not one should take a different approach when applying to an MA program as opposed to a PhD program? Any responses would help.

Are there any programs that stand out as being particularly strong? Any help would be appreciated.

Has anyone done this or heard of anyone doing so? It seems like it might be worth it. Thoughts?