I didn't do this myself when I was applying, but I had a friend do this, and it helped her get into the program she is now attending. Before applying, she called the program and they were willing to set up a meeting with her to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of her upcoming application, and the admissions counselor gave her suggestions on how to strengthen her application. My friend ended up getting admitted and is now attending that program. Not every program would be willing to set up this type of one on one meeting, but it definitely doesn't hurt to take the initiative and contact them. I've also seen a lot of people on these forums mention asking programs that rejected them how they could improve their applications, and getting honest feedback. I think it would definitely be a good idea to do that.