gloriagilbert

My experiences with campus visits lead me to believe that you're completely fine. Not only is it acceptable for your interests and proposed project to change--it's actually expected, and in some places, downright encouraged. The wealth of resources available at the graduate level means that your questions and approaches are bound to shift, sometimes quite markedly. I've heard of 19th century Americanists who become early modernists. 
In short, I wouldn't sweat it. It might be more of a "red flag" if you went through years of graduate study without changing your proposal at all.

I was encouraged to take a minimum of two years off in between undergrad and a Ph.D., and I settled on one, though I was VERY tempted to apply as a senior in college. I'm now incredibly grateful for the past year and secretly think that taking even more time off could've been a good move (despite the fact that my application cycle went pretty well, and I'm grad school-bound in the fall). My two cents, for what it's worth--but I'm now a huge proponent of gap year(s) and will encourage pretty much anyone to at least consider taking one.

For me, having that full year off was crucial. I didn't feel rushed in getting my materials together, and was able to dedicate much of the fall/early winter to nothing but my application. I don't think I would've had as strong of an application if I had attempted to rush it, or if my attention was hindered by school work. Also, it was an incredibly peaceful year of self reflection. Having time away from school allowed me to reflect on what it truly was that I wanted to study, and reaffirmed to me that going back to school was the right decision. 

I'm U Michigan bound. Never envisioned myself in the midwest, but Ann Arbor, let's go!

My experiences with campus visits lead me to believe that you're completely fine. Not only is it acceptable for your interests and proposed project to change--it's actually expected, and in some places, downright encouraged. The wealth of resources available at the graduate level means that your questions and approaches are bound to shift, sometimes quite markedly. I've heard of 19th century Americanists who become early modernists. 
In short, I wouldn't sweat it. It might be more of a "red flag" if you went through years of graduate study without changing your proposal at all.

I'm U Michigan bound. Never envisioned myself in the midwest, but Ann Arbor, let's go!

I'm U Michigan bound. Never envisioned myself in the midwest, but Ann Arbor, let's go!

I'm U Michigan bound. Never envisioned myself in the midwest, but Ann Arbor, let's go!

I'm U Michigan bound. Never envisioned myself in the midwest, but Ann Arbor, let's go!

I'm U Michigan bound. Never envisioned myself in the midwest, but Ann Arbor, let's go!

Yes!  I had a great visit to Yale but, get this—I am still strongly considering Rice! That's a big decision, so I've got lots of phone calls to make and emails to write before I'm comfortable pulling the trigger either way. (Of course, I haven't even been admitted to Rice, so doing my best not to jinx anything here).
You were there during my visit, so you definitely got a sense of how happy I was and how much I fit in with just about everyone I talked to. This is definitely where Rice has a leg up on Yale, where the overall atmosphere was a little stuffier and more self-important than I'd prefer. Although of course that doesn't apply to everyone I met, and some of the professors I talked to were really warm, honest and helpful. And their work is really exciting, and meshed well with my own interests.
My academic and academia-adjacent friends and mentors are going to get a lot of questions from me in the next couple of days, to be sure.

My experiences with campus visits lead me to believe that you're completely fine. Not only is it acceptable for your interests and proposed project to change--it's actually expected, and in some places, downright encouraged. The wealth of resources available at the graduate level means that your questions and approaches are bound to shift, sometimes quite markedly. I've heard of 19th century Americanists who become early modernists. 
In short, I wouldn't sweat it. It might be more of a "red flag" if you went through years of graduate study without changing your proposal at all.

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

My experiences with campus visits lead me to believe that you're completely fine. Not only is it acceptable for your interests and proposed project to change--it's actually expected, and in some places, downright encouraged. The wealth of resources available at the graduate level means that your questions and approaches are bound to shift, sometimes quite markedly. I've heard of 19th century Americanists who become early modernists. 
In short, I wouldn't sweat it. It might be more of a "red flag" if you went through years of graduate study without changing your proposal at all.

It's looking like U Michigan for me, barring a status change on waitlists. 

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

I plan to officially turn down Brown's offer and accept Michigan's by the end of the day tomorrow, at the latest. The people at both places were really unequivocally lovely, and I hope this early-ish decision on my part helps encourage some pre-April 15 waitlist movement at the former. 

One of my POIs at Yale who I feel is doing a great recruiting job actually told me having people from other schools on your committee can be a great professional benefit, it shows that you're in conversation with a wider scholarly community. 

Engaging with neighboring institutions is also a huge draw for me re: Brown, and a lot of these east coast schools seem to encourage rather than merely facilitate such exchange. I'm also hesitant to leave the Northeast, as most of my college friends and extended social networks happen to be situated here. I feel somewhat guilty taking that into account, though? It sounds a little silly admitting that while Mich might be the better academic fit, I might choose Brown on the basis of "well, my friends are here, so..." But rationally, I know it's a very valid consideration, and it's 5-6 years of my life... Ahh!

I am a 19th/20th c Americanist interested in queer/feminist theory! From what I can see, the faculty seems pretty stacked at Michigan in terms of Americanists. It's just a much bigger department, so naturally, I have identified more profs who I can envision myself working with. I need to double-check the queer/feminist theorists at Brown, though--I was mostly focused on the Americanist roster. Also geeking out at the prospect of taking classes at RISD. Thanks so much for the tip, and best of luck to you!! I've been rooting for you behind the scenes and was so proud/happy for you when that Yale acceptance rolled through