Advice needed...

[Duaa77]

Hello everyone,
I need some advice/suggestions. I am applying for Masters/Ph.D. programs in History. I have everything done except for the statement of purpose (I wrote what the website says about it below), and I honestly have no idea where to even begin to write this. I already have a master’s degree in social work, and although social work is a great profession, it is not for me. I am not sure how to talk about that. Is it worth hiring someone to help me with the statement? To be honest I am freaking out because I want to get in someone, but it all feels very overwhelming and unreachable right now. Any advice/help would be great. I have read sample statements, but I still don’t even know how to set it up.
Here is what the website wrote about what to include in the statement of purpose:

The Statement of Purpose explains your reasons for graduate study. This 2-3 page document is the hardest part of the application to write. While it will likely include some autobiographical information, its primary purpose is to acquaint us with how your mind works. We want to know, for example, what kinds of intellectual problems and issues interest you, whose stories intrigue you, what sorts of analytical or narrative approaches you like to pursue, which historical writings you admire—and your reasons for these various preferences. Please help us understand your decision to enter the historical profession and how you see your own role in it.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[doubledogd]

If you're not sure where to start, try just freewriting about your research interests. What questions do you want to consider? What time period/specific field? What kind of issues do you want to explore? Are there any texts/critics that you can point to as models for what you want to do? (The concerns from the above prompt.) Don't worry about making it sound good or look organized; just try to articulate your ideas somehow.

This is, I think, the core of the SOP. Eventually you'll want to write these ideas out more coherently and connect them to specific programs, but this is a good prewriting exercise. Once you've figured out how to represent your academic interests, you might find it easier to create a narrative about your past experiences and tie it all together. If you've been reading example statements, then you probably already have a sense of how the overall text is structured--the hardest part is figuring out how to get into it. Keep in mind that the most important aspect of a first draft is that it exists (so you have something to revise).