(NYTIMES) - Getting a master's degree in business administration is about a lot more than book learning. It's about the conversations in class and the chance meetings before and after lectures. It's about joining clubs that promote a professional or personal interest. Above all, it's about networking with fellow students as well as with corporate recruiters and successful alumni who come to campus - all in the hope of getting a career boost. It's not about sitting alone in your apartment and staring at a Zoom screen for classes, networking and socialising. Another virtual happy hour, anyone? And all this comes with a substantial tab. Many of the top business schools calculate the total annual cost - counting tuition, room and board - at more than US$100,000 (S$132,600), with some closer to US$120,000. That doesn't include the cost of not working for two years. And the schools have not reduced their tuition fees during this coronavirus pandemic. Students in the MBA class of 2021 across the United States have been hit particularly hard. They began their programme in the autumn of last year, and all went as usual until midway through the spring semester, when classes went virtual and ...