For your statement, lay it all out there. Tell them what made you decide to go for your PhD. Give a brief history explaining what led you to this moment. Don't hesitate to brag about all the cool shit you've done so far. Was there a rough patch for you? I wasn't shy about my lack of focus and conviction for the first couple years, as reflected in my undergraduate grades. lil helped me a lot with my statement, and was "badged" accordingly, which was nowhere near compensation enough for the trouble of analyzing a clumsy 1.5 page wall of text and providing excellent feedback. If you want, I can PM you my statement of purpose as an example, even though it would still probably make lil cringe, were she to read it. Edit: Both caeli and lil have both said it, and I agree; if you tailor your letters to each individual school, that can be powerful. For example, "I have always been interested in ____, and Dr. ____'s work in that area fascinates me." That's actually a terrible template, and you should only target things that genuinely DO interest you, but you get the idea. If you have interests and especially come from a background aligned with something that their department excels at (or wants to excel at), that's a huge bonus in your favor.

Thank you for this. I am also preparing to apply this fall and my SOP has been a terrible terrible pain point for me, I need as much advice as possible.