How I got accepted to grad school: I sent a typed letter as "priority mail" (where the recipient has to sign for it) to the prof I wanted to work with. It was

How I got accepted to grad school: I sent a typed letter as "priority mail" (where the recipient has to sign for it) to the prof I wanted to work with. It was my junior year and I told him I could meet him in-person during spring break. He agreed and I traveled out there as promised. The screwed-up part was that he ended-up leaving town that week and I didn't get a chance to meet him! So I talked to everyone in the department I could get access to. Eventually the department head at the time liked what I had to say, so he told me he'd see me back the next year.