Question about item 7 on Harvard's application Forum

[agglomeration]

On the LSAC website, under number 7 it states "Briefly describe any written work you've produced (e.g, college-level or higher papers, articles, theses, etc., with multiple revisions in response to feedback) under the supervision of an academic advisor or professional editor. (Maximum characters 300)"

I've never wrote any theses or articles that have been published. Should i just write about a paper i have written in undergrad? I am kind of confused by this part and not sure what to put in. Anyone have any ideas?

[t-14orbust]

FWIW I never did a thesis or anything that fell under my conservative interpretation of the question, and as such I left the portion blank. Others here have mentioned using a more liberal interpretation and writing about substantive class papers. I was admitted a few weeks ago.

[Nooblarzlarz]

FWIW I never did a thesis or anything that fell under my conservative interpretation of the question, and as such I left the portion blank. Others here have mentioned using a more liberal interpretation and writing about substantive class papers. I was admitted a few weeks ago.

Same situation and left blank. Have JS1 scheduled.

[agglomeration]

Thanks to both of you.

FWIW I never did a thesis or anything that fell under my conservative interpretation of the question, and as such I left the portion blank. Others here have mentioned using a more liberal interpretation and writing about substantive class papers. I was admitted a few weeks ago.

Same situation and left blank. Have JS1 scheduled.

Thanks. Just wanted to make sure leaving it blank would be ok. And quick question, what does JS1 stand for?

[kershka]

A JS1 is your interview with HLS admissions. Traditionally it was either held with Jessica Soban (JS1) or Karen Buttenbaum (KB1). Karen has since left and three others now complete the interviews along with Dean Soban but the short-hand JS1 is still commonly used on TLS. A JS2 is the call from JS admitting you to HLS.

FWIW, I put my senior theses and honors theses in that section. I was also admitted. Honestly, I don't think it makes a big difference.

[amc987]

Unless you've written a thesis for UG or grad school or had something else published, I'd leave it blank. It really won't matter. At HLS, I feel like LSAT + GPA >>>> than any other factor.

[lawschool22]

Unless you've written a thesis for UG or grad school or had something else published, I'd leave it blank. It really won't matter. At HLS, I feel like LSAT + GPA >>>> than any other factor.

This line of thinking is somewhat dangerous and has lead to people with stellar numbers being rejected.

From what I have read and heard from several knowledgeable sources, including Karen Buttenbaum (former HLS admissions director), the question is meant to be pretty broad, and it is recommended that you do not leave it blank if at all possible. Almost any lengthy paper you wrote in undergrad that went through several revisions could be a candidate for this section.

They will likely not ask you about it or give it a second glance, but a blank there would stand out more than whatever average-sounding paper you list.

I'm not saying you can't be admitted without something there, but IMHO every little bit matters (especially if your numbers are marginal), so put something down if you can.