Hi @AP!! Thank you so, so much for your thorough and thoughtful answer! In regards to asking about my interests, here is what I'm interested in:
I want to write a text (or multiple) on female political leaders throughout history. Specifically I'd like to do research on female prime ministers throughout history, the role of women in the political arena in those countries (India, Pakistan, etc) and the connection between women and those elected to office. I also would like to research women's political history in the U.S., in which I am leaning towards applying to Rutgers with their CAWP. Thus, I would be mixing my interests in political science with my history interests. I want to be a professor at a university while doing this research and writing, etc.
Thank you for your emphasis on how wanting the degree is not enough, and how important the research interests are behind it. It's easy to get caught up in the allure of the PhD and not always fully consider all the work and depth that will be behind it.
A poster on another site recommended that I take a few undergrad courses in History (akin to a minor) and excel in them, in order to strengthen my package for application, to prove my ability for success in the field/show I am prepared, and to be sure that's what I want to be pursuing. Thus, maybe a preliminary idea would be to work next fall while taking one to two upper level undergrad courses in history? Or should I try a grad level course in history? What do you think? I've taken two classes in history during my undergrad: US History up to 1877 (A) and Russian History from 1900 onwards (B+). I really enjoyed both of them but I haven't taken one in about two years so I think I'd like to try another to make sure. Plus, I definitely need more experience with primary source materials and basic historical research.
I'm happy to know funding, decisions, etc aren't 100% said and decided on GPA & GRE. That was my biggest concern. I'm not worried about showing my interests and what direction my research is going in, I'm more worried they won't consider me qualified whatsoever. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm very interested in Rutgers and their Center for American Women and Politics. Clearly this would be a great location for what I'm interested in researching and writing about, in terms of my interests in U.S. politics and women.
I plan to confer with a wide range of professors tomorrow in order to see what they think. Obviously I have no plans set in stone, just sending out feelers, trying to get as much advice/input/knowledge from a wide range of sources as possible.