Ignimbrite: Grad school applications, plz advise

Ignimbrite 07.28.15	like, do I straight up start cold-calling/emailing faculty and say "yo your research sounds super dank and I'm interested in doing doctoral work under you at the University of College, plz respond" actually though fucking fuck I hate applying for important things
climactic 07.28.15	how does 6 compare to s/t ?
climactic 07.28.15	oh and good luck based kroner
Ignimbrite 07.28.15	I think it's a lot better, and I really liked the s/t. If it has any issues the biggest would be that it's 80 minutes long and can drag a bit in places, but it's still a fantastic album in almost every way. Probably my favorite black metal of 2015 so far. Also, the album art is so good that I ordered the vinyl before I even heard the album. and ty based climactic
InfamousGrouse 07.28.15	So you're looking into research-based postgraduate programmes? I'm assuming you need to submit a research proposal? I had two days notice before a particularly attractive programme closed and no way in hell I could've put one together alongside my other commitments! 5 months is ample time. General cliched advice: find a balance between not boasting and not underselling yourself. Write in detail about what specifically attracts you to the course and that particular department. Show compatibility with the research areas preferred by the academics. Don't be afraid to suck their asses a little, especially if it's an elite institution. Use your referees wisely.
AtomicWaste 07.28.15	Never done a grad school application, but I have reached out to professors who are doing research in a given area/are known experts, and I've found that they're generally receptive/responsive to inquiries (at least the ones I spoke with - mathematics and statistics professors at Cornell and another in a German university). The only one who didn't get back to me was the guy they both referred me to, which sucked, but what can you do? From that experience, I'd definitely encourage you to reach out in earnest. Don't plaster them with a spiel, just send a polite inquiry asking if you could talk with them about their research because you're interested in it and are a graduate school candidate in the field. Some might ignore you, some might not have time, but I'd expect a great many would welcome at least having a chat with you.
AtomicWaste 07.28.15	Applications, though, I dunno - I've been out of academia for 4 years now (thank god) and I have yet to pursue a Master's. If it's anything like a resume/job interview, be personable and as knowledgeable/skilled as possible and it'll work out. Don't be a dick, but express every strength compatibility possible and own faults with a plan to improve.
InfamousGrouse 07.28.15	^if you do take this advice, don't be disheartened if they don't reply instantaneously as it is currently their only "real" holiday period. If you were to do this, I'd do so closer to semester time as an academic is typically going to have tonnes of emails received over summer, so some slip naturally through the cracks. I had one academic, for instance, mail me two weeks ago saying she would provide feedback ASAP on a draft paper I wrote for an international undergraduate journal on world cinema, only to be still waiting. Another piece of advice I'd give is ensure you have your motivational letter, and all content needed as part of the application process, proofread by a friend who knows what they're doing. Having a second pair of eyes and a second opinion (if not more) is essential. Take as much time on your motivation letter as you need, and make sure it's exactly a page of A4. Be to the point so interest in reading your application over everybody else's isn't lost unnecessarily. (incidentally, cool to see Cornell crop up; I'm from the UK, but one of my referees got her PhD from there. Smart woman.)
Ignimbrite 07.28.15	Wow, I didn't actually expect any good responses. Thanks a ton to both of you, I will keep all that in mind when I nut up and start emailing!
InfamousGrouse 07.28.15	What are you interested in and where, if you don't mind me asking?
Ignimbrite 07.28.15	I'm gonna start my 4th year of undergrad in a few weeks (at Colorado College: it's a small liberal arts school, but it's generally pretty well-regarded, and the geo department in particular is fantastic), and I'm a geology major, hopefully with a math minor assuming I have time this year to take the remaining classes for it. I'm currently working on a thesis based on some volcanological/petrological work I did last semester in New Zealand, so that kind of is defining the specific sub-field I'm interested in. From what I can tell, the location+program combinations at UC San Diego, U of Washington, U of British Columbia, and UT Austin are really good, although I haven't really looked much farther than that yet. McGill also had some super interesting research projects when I last checked.
AtomicWaste 07.28.15	I didn't even think of that. Yeah, September may be your best bet to initiate contact (though many are in the lab year-round), which makes now a good time to round up what schools you're interested and what professors' research you're interested in.
InfamousGrouse 07.29.15	Cool. Nice to see you've got interests pinpointed at this early stage. Take your time, evaluate departments/research areas/facilities, and apply to a selection of programmes just to give yourself options. I wish I'd given myself the last piece of advice; I only applied to one programme (pretty much my dream MA course at University College London), and though I hold an unconditional offer of a place, I might be priced out. I'm deferring my entry until the 16/17 academic year and saving as much as I can, otherwise I'm going to have to look at alternatives in the next 4-5 months. Good luck in any case!
Ignimbrite 07.29.15	Yeah man, same to you! What are you planning to study, if you don't mind my asking?
InfamousGrouse 07.29.15	My MA will be in French and Francophone Studies. It's (subjectively AND objectively?!) the best French taught Master's course in the UK, reason being most universities only offer MA by research. Although I do have relatively specific research interests, I like the flexibility UCL offers in its approach (translation, film theory, gender studies, literary and artistic representations, etc. are all available as core and/or optional modules) because it doesn't shut the door to working in any of those fields. Naturally, it's only a plus to get your Master's from an institution as high up on the world rankings as they are! It was a real no brainer; now I'm just waiting for next year's financial support applications to go live so I can be all like "omg hi I have no money plzzz help a bro out"
Ignimbrite 07.30.15	"omg hi I have no money plzzz help a bro out" fucking word
ZombicidalMan 07.30.15	commenting so I can steal advice. I'll be in my last semester come september, and only have to take three courses after going on a credits-rich field school this summer. now I'm totally poor, but the plan is to get into grad school ASAP good luck fellows
Ignimbrite 07.30.15	Same to you, broski. What are you studying? You mentioned field school: I'm assuming it's some kind of a science?
ZombicidalMan 07.31.15	I'm studying archaeology, so to call it a "kind of" science is actually really accurate, haha. It's a wonderful discipline birthed through heartless colonial treasure hunting and nazi punching I'm planning to go to SFU since UBC doesn't offer an archaeology-specific masters. I've heard good things about the geology program at UBC though, and a lot of my friends end up doing pre-med there (and enjoy it). hmu if you move to my province and we can discuss isostatic uplift
Ignimbrite 07.31.15	Archaeology is basically the social sciences half-brother of geology, so I kind of feel that this makes us kindred spirits. If I end up at UBC I'll for sure hit you up and we can have that riveting isostatic yadda discussion.