Hi Andrew! For all PhD applications, you will have to provide a proposal. This is standard procedure. As a PhD student myself, I can tell you that your project will veer considerably from your original proposal, so when you're in the swing of the PhD, you won't be held to the the original proposal you provide. I will say this: don't just write something haphazardly. Think hard about it. The most important part of the proposal is trying to show how your work will be an original contribution to the field, so you will need to talk about how your work diverges from work that's already around in your field. Hope that helps!