does the statement of purpose matter for stats?

[sidneysamson]

This will determine how much time I spend writing these statements. Else I'm done.

[Shostakovich]

This will determine how much time I spend writing these statements. Else I'm done.

From reading these boards, I think the answer leans towards no. But then again, all parts of your application matters at least a little bit. For example, not having a statement of having it written in incomprehensible language may damage your application. The advice given seems to be to keep the statement somewhat general, and just show that you're very interested in the subject matter.

Good luck!

[cyberwulf]

Agree. Write one, but don't agonize over it.