How *Not* to Improve Your U.S. News Ranking

Don't insult the Deans and faculties of some 130 law schools by stating in public, as David Van Zandt (Northwestern) has now done, that it doesn't make "economic sense" for a student to go to any of their schools.  Northwestern's academic reputation score has been in something of a 'free fall' (at least by U.S. News standards) for a few years now, but this surely won't help when the surveys go out next fall for next year's ranking.   (Its scholarly impact ranking is actually improving, however, as a new study I'll release in a couple of weeks will confirm.)