Your Teachers:

Your own professors and GSIs know all the inside info.   They know who’s active in the field, which schools are producing first-rate scholars, which schools are job-market hot, and who the big names are in your field.  They can put you in touch with your professional organization(s) and to the benefits and resources they provide.  Your teachers are the people who can get you started and help you finish.  The LSA Bulletin lists the professors in each department along with their specific academic interests, and most departments have a faculty listing that names the schools where they received their degrees. 

Letters of reference:

Start by asking a professor who knows your work to write on behalf of your application to graduate school.  Ask people who can say something positive about your ability to do graduate work.  Be sure to give them plenty of advance notice, at least a month before the application is due, six weeks if you are using the career center’s Reference Letter Service.  Successful students provide professors with helpful information such as a résumé or an essay explaining why they want to do graduate work at specific institutions.  When you ask for a reference for the first time, do it in person.  It’s ok to email first, but be sure to state in your email that you would like to meet with Prof. X to talk about the letter.  After your professor writes the letter, you should thank him/her.  The best way to thank someone is to write a note and put it in snail mail.  Always, always, always do this.  If you are admitted to graduate school, guess what?  You have to tell the professor and thank him/her again.