The statement of purpose is an extremely important part of the application because it gives the
 faculty assessing your application their most significant impression of you as an individual. What are 
 your motivations? Do you write clearly? Do your interests really fit those of the department or 
 school? Can you communicate your ideas effectively? Are there special things about you that set 
 you apart from other applicants and make you particularly desirable as a student?

 You should probably write a general statement of purpose as the first step in even considering 
 graduate school. Writing your ideas and goals down on paper should help you clarify your thinking.
 If you can get things down in no more than 3 double-spaced typed pages, you probably have a good 
 idea of what you really want to do. The statement should reflect your own intellectual development. 
 One way to show that is to discuss the points in your life when you made decisions and what 
 influenced them -- the decision on a college major, the decision on a career goal, the family 
 members and role models who inspired you.

 Once you have a general statement, you can tailor it to specific programs to which you are applying 
 by talking about the reasons you chose the program -- how it fits your background and interests. The 
 application materials may give you a specific format for the statement of purpose or ask you to 
 respond to specific questions, but in all cases, faculty members are interested in your motivation, 
 your intellectual skills, and your suitability for their particular program.