How important is it to have a specific project in mind when writing your statement of purpose?

[cjw2211]

I saw this suggestion in the statement of purpose subforum, but it seemed more directed at humanities/social science majors...I personally would have a hard time envisioning a project at this point (although I know some engineering students don't), but will it look worse if I just give some effects/interactions/ideas I want to explore in the specific field in which I want to do research? Thanks.

[CanuckBoy]

For me, when I was shopping for schools, I specifically looked for profs with projects/areas of my interest and talked about how I am interested and suitable for those projects/areas. However, profs know as a master/bachelor student, you know nothing (a prof actually said that to me during an interview). The successful SOPs I have seen at top schools and groups, they focused more on demonstrating strong research potential/ability regardless of interest in a broad area or specific project.