HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Law School Loses Its Allure as Jobs at Firms Are Scarce . “Student applications to law schools are down sharply this year, as college seniors grow leery of a degree that promises certain debt and uncertain job prospects. The number of law-school applicants this year is down 11.5% from a year ago to 66,876, according to the Law School Admission Council Inc. The figure, which is a tally of applications for the fall 2011 class, is the lowest since 2001 at this stage of the process.” Smart law schools will be looking for ways to minimize the debt, and maximize the employment prospects.

And it’s not just law: “Business-school applications for the fall 2011 class have not been tallied yet by the Graduate Management Admission Council. But last year, the average number of applications to full-time graduate programs declined 1.8%, the Council said, the first decline since 2005.”