Contacting professors when going for an MA and not having clear research interests

[porfiry]

I know there are several "contacting professors" threads going, but they seem to be geared toward applicants with fairly well-defined research interests. Which is what I lack

I'm returning to academic philosophy 5 years after my BA, and going for an MA first before a PhD largely because, having been outside academia all this time, I don't have a clear idea of what I want my research focus to be. I've got "broad" areas of interest, e.g. Philosophy of Mind, but nothing concrete like "I'm interested in researching the epistemological implications of Margolis and Laurence's Mixed View of the ontological status of concepts." I'm looking at programs with faculty who have published in areas broadly construed as "Philosophy of Mind" but I'm worried that if I contact them, I'll come across as uncertain and kinda flaky.

How important is it for MA applicants to have clearly outlined research proposals? After all, I'm going for an MA precisely so that I can arrive at a specific research focus for a PhD.

Does anyone have any tips on how to approach professors without sounding like I have no clue what I'm talking about (partially true, I feel philosophically rusty) and just want to get a foot in the door (no! I've spent weeks and months identifying programs with faculty I want to study with)?

[cheesethunder]

you could read the faculty's work. and write to them what you liked about it

and say you have a broad interest in the area perhaps they have a project they need help with ...or if you find an area of their paper that sticks out to you.

[rising_star]

How important is it for MA applicants to have clearly outlined research proposals? After all, I'm going for an MA precisely so that I can arrive at a specific research focus for a PhD.

If you make it clear that you're doing the MA to narrow down your research interests, I think you'll find that profs are fairly responsive. They know you don't have it all figured out, whether you're applying for the MA or the PhD (because, if you did, you wouldn't be headed to graduate school). I was pretty vague with my interests when I applied to MA programs, and in the emails I sent before applying. I did identify some potential areas for my research and what I was hoping to learn more about in school. I'd say the strategy worked ok as I got into 4 of the 6 programs to which I applied.

[porfiry]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm doing the best I can with researching the professors I'm interested in (between a full-time job and a part-time online MA - in applied linguistics, not philosophy), but I hope they're willing to take a chance on someone who's enthusiastic, if a little rough-around-the-edges