zot1 wrote:I think what you want is for the school to accept more students with higher LSATs to increase your percentiles, but you don't have to completely bar the 150s to do that. You can just admit less.
However, I think what you're not thinking of is the fact that Hasting probably does admit a large percentage of students with LSATs in the 170s and high 160s and those students may be choosing to go somewhere else. Perhaps because the Bay Area market is already tight and employment numbers are not great. Perhaps because scholarships are not as high as someone would want. Perhaps because people don't want to live in the loin. Or perhaps because those students got accepted to Boalt instead.
My point is that the problem is larger than "let's not take students with 150 LSATs" suggests. At the of the day, if the 170s and high 160s are not enrolling, the school has to dip lower because professors and admin have to get paid.
I do agree with you that there are other factors at play, such as the ones you listed. When you say admit fewer students, that's what I was originally getting at as well (my post you originally quoted that mentions investing in fewer students with strong credentials).
Keeping in mind that I don't know all the factors at play, my solution is to perhaps simply have a standard instead of filling class sizes (to have enough money to pay its professors). I would like Hastings hold itself to a higher standard, put their foot down even if it costs them.
I realize a school is a for-profit business (or it might as well be), but I am of that opinion that a successful school cares about its students first and foremost, rather than profs trying to maximizing their salary. As unrealistic as this idea might be, I believe that trimming the fat to the point that the professors that remain truly care about the fewer students will help restore the school, while those who just wanted to collect paychecks move to another school or back to practice.
Hastings may take another hit in the rankings by doing so. However, just like how it bled out within the rankings slowly and gradually (and just like how shedding weight takes just as much time as putting on weight through consistent good and bad habits, respectively), curing its status will take time as well.