Contacting Programs

[booktobook]

A little preface... I know I should probably be asking these questions of a professor I've asked to help me through the process or someone similar, but I am three years out of undergrad and six hours away from my UG school. My MS is in a more vocational field-- our program director only has a BA. I am pretty much on my own here and greatly appreciate any and all advice.

That said, how did you decide on what programs to apply to and how much contact did you have with them before you applied? I think I've read just about every thread on the entire forums page and some people seem to have a lot more contact with future advisers and faculty than others. What exactly are the criteria for a "good fit"? I have been looking at the faculty page and punching names into JSTOR that look relevant, but I am lucky when a department has one really good fit and potentially an associate professor with similar interests. I am not applying until Fall 2012, but I don't know how long it's supposed to take to research schools and cultivate contacts, etc. Is it appropriate to contact a professor at a school I am interested in to let them know that I have read their research and am interested in working with them?

Also, how do you get information on job placement? Some school seem to list it right out in front, but it doesn't tell the whole story. For every grad they place, chances are five more are struggling to find a job, but they're not going to tell you that. Is it appropriate to contact the English department and ask candid questions about their program and success rates?

For the record, I plan to spend this winter revising a paper from undergrad and approaching the professor whose class I wrote it for to provide comments in the spring. At that point I plan to also ask him for some help with SOPs and, of course, let him know that I would be ever so grateful if he would write me an outstanding LOR. I'm hoping and praying that he'll still remember me after four years.

[wordslinger]

Personally, I did not have much contact with the school or professor prior to applying. I did know that the school was a "good fit" because: 1. my mentor recommended it to me and 2. when I perused the faculty list, I recognized several names from the work from which I drew for my thesis and other writing.

I did not spend a lot of time strategizing the application process. I wrote my SOP based on what I really feel and think about teaching and research in composition. I got advice from my mentor and used an excerpt from my thesis for my writing sample. I applied to schools with professors I with whom I want to study. Shrug. For what it's worth, I'm not lit, and my interest in national rankings is pretty much zero. Good luck to you, my friend!