Is it necessary to contact faculty for admission to an MA program?

[unpretentious username]

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.

[GreenePony]

Those in my ug (when I was in an anthro dept) did contact professors at the programs they are interested. The justification I heard it that competition is so great that getting your name in certainly cannot hurt your chances and it will also show that you won't be spending two years studying something that won't set up for your PhD work. I know someone who was assigned to a professor whose research interests matched her's and from what I understand, this led to an increased assistant.

[anthropologygeek]

When I applied for my masters I didn't contact one future adviser and got in at 50% of the places I applied. I only 1 future advisor when I applied for my phd and I got into 7 of the 10 places I applied. It is not necessary it just depends on whether or not you feel you should or you want to.

[anthropologygeek]

Oh I forgot to say that if I had contacted my phd advisor in the fall of the year I was applying they would of told me they weren't taking students since in the fall they didn't think they were taking students but decided to. And every prof is different. I know now how to be accepted to each person guaranteed based on what they value most in an application and it is different for each.

[unpretentious username]

When I applied for my masters I didn't contact one future adviser and got in at 50% of the places I applied. I only 1 future advisor when I applied for my phd and I got into 7 of the 10 places I applied. It is not necessary it just depends on whether or not you feel you should or you want to.

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.

[anthropologygeek]

You can do whatever you want is my point. Either way you aren't killing your chances and your app will have to stand on it's on.

[unpretentious username]

You can do whatever you want is my point. Either way you aren't killing your chances and your app will have to stand on it's on.

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.

[anthropologygeek]

I think the only way to truly know is to be the person you are contacting.I'm sure it varies by professor and you shouldn't stress over this detail. If you feel the email will hurt you don't send it. If you want to show your serious about the program visit it in the fall but set up a meeting first. There's not a right or wrong answer it's whatever you feel like. You have so much to stress about beyond this, spend the time worrying offer this on your personal statement, studying, and deciding who to ask for recs.