Enrollment of new students at graduate schools in the United States dropped slightly from 2009 to 2010, despite an 8.4 percent increase in applications, the New York Times reports. It was the first decline in first-time graduate enrollment since 2003, according to the Council of Graduate Schools, and came after a 5.5 percent increase the previous year. The decrease in new graduate students was particularly noticeable in business, education and public administration programs, according to Debra W. Stewart, the council’s president. And while the number of new Hispanic students grew by almost 5 percent, new enrollment by black students declined by more than 8 percent…