How to approach faculty at prospective schools?

[jackassjim]

do assistant professors get to be in the adcom? or is it just associate and other tenured profs?

I really like the "get to be". It must be such a joyous experience to read about all the path-breaking research conducted for our writing samples (I know I used a wonderful font...).

[rustytrix]

lol ok all the bashing aside... u guys still havent given me the answer

[Penelope Higgins]

Assistant professors are sometimes on admissions committees. At some schools (Columbia, for example), every subfield makes its own decisions separately. At other schools, the admissions committee is drawn from across the department, and includes both senior and junior people.

[rustytrix]

Assistant professors are sometimes on admissions committees. At some schools (Columbia, for example), every subfield makes its own decisions separately. At other schools, the admissions committee is drawn from across the department, and includes both senior and junior people.

Thats all I wanted to know. Thank you.

[jackassjim]

Assistant professors are sometimes on admissions committees. At some schools (Columbia, for example), every subfield makes its own decisions separately. At other schools, the admissions committee is drawn from across the department, and includes both senior and junior people.

Very informative as always. It's great to have you around Penelope.

[catchermiscount]

For the especially bold among you, an additional tactic that has proven successful is meeting with professors at conferences. While email exchanges are great, there is nothing better than face-to-face contact and proving that you can discuss your ideas systematically and thoughtfully in a conversation rather than an email.

The downside is cost. Often only members of various associations are allowed to attend, and getting to the darned thing can be a pain as well. But I think it can put you over the top if you're a candidate on the cusp.

Do bear in mind that professors will not have much time to give. Check the tentative programs that you'll find on the conference websites and see when they're presenting. Send the introductory email, mention that you noticed that they're presenting, and send a feeler along the lines of "would you like to meet for coffee after your presentation?"

I did this as APSA this year and met with, what, ten faculty members or so from about six schools. They also happened to be schools that I got into. I saw some presentations from faculty that made me decide NOT to apply to their university. I mean, it's just helpful to see how all this works.

The upcoming APSA is in Toronto, so, if you do decide to engage in this kind of thing, you might want to make sure the passport is in working order.