Should I give everything a spin on research, even if that may not be what I want to do?

[Shahsquatch]

I am applying to all of the top engineering schools for my masters, and I was wondering about whether I should go for brute honesty or a little more finesse. I am not yet 100% sure that I want to do research, but I have heard rumors that admissions counselors frown down upon people who do not have a clear vision as to what they are going to do in the future by now. As such, should I stick to trying to spin everything in my SOP about research, or should I blatantly say that I am not yet sure. Also, would it be detrimental if I wrote that I am doing a Masters just to gain more skills, rather than focusing on research?? Again I am talking about the higher ranking schools here, UCSD, GA Tech, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, etc.

[TakeruK]

I would recommend finesse, but it's possible to be honest, true to yourself and also choose your words carefully all at the same time. 

You don't need to spin everything to angle you towards research. However, I would not blatantly say that you aren't sure you want to do research. The way to finesse this is to focus on the positive and say what you want to do, not what you don't want to do.

I am assuming that you are applying to Masters programs, not PhD programs. I would research the goals of the programs and what they want their graduates to be able to achieve. If you are applying to a Masters program that is meant to place students in the research track (i.e. the next step is a PhD program) then I would emphasize this goal more in your SOP. So, write about the things that attract you towards research. It's a good idea to write about skills you can learn too and you should spin the skills as being useful for PhD research plans.

If you are applying to Masters programs that are designed to give you a specific skill for work in or out of academia, then you don't have to worry about spinning towards research so much. I would still avoid the negative aspects---no need to say that you're not sure about research. Just write about all the things you are excited about.