Contacting Professors

[student1980]

I have been told that since this is the prime time of application review,I should write emails to particular faculty members of my subject.
I just wanted to know if this is a normal part of the process or by doing so,do I deviate from the formal norm?I mean, asking for clarification etc.is fair;however,presenting yourself via emails -is it okay?
Kindly advise.and if at all this is a normal thing to do,do advise on what approach one should take up?

[bauble]

Take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I would not write a prof just to say that I am "out there." For every prof that appreciates this initiative, I'm guessing there is at least one that thinks this is contrived gamesmanship. Of course, if you have substantive things to say that not covered in your application, by all means go for it. Obviously you run the risk of looking dumb in this case.

[tkkoh]

If need clarifications on the process, etc., contact the PhD administrator, not the profs.

If you want to contact the profs, the best way is to get to them thru your network. Does your recommender know anyone that you are interested to work with? If yes, ask your recommender to link you up. If your recommender is willing to link you up, it is also a sign of how well he thinks of the "fit". So make sure you ask in a way that your recommender can say 'no'.

But, extending on what bauble has said, make sure you don't make your recommender and yourself look dumb when contacting other profs. i.e. have something constructive to say or ask.