Feeling slightly squeamish about the idea of spending over $16,000 per year, on top of 60-70k in tuition/room/board, when you don't have a job? Remember, those tickets to Munich for Oktoberfest/Park City for weekend ski trips/Thailand for spring break/Las Vegas for the f*ck of it are an investment in your future.

With B-school networking events often linked to eating, drinking, and traveling well, the line between socializing and seizing career-making opportunities can blur. It's clear, though, that spending a lot during your MBA program won't hurt you: The B-schools where students burn though the most discretionary cash are also the ones that graduate students with the highest starting salaries, according to Bloomberg data...The typical Columbia student spends $14,400 per year on nonessential items, according to research by Bloomberg. At Harvard Business School, the MBA program where the median spending on extras is highest, that number was $16,290.

The High Cost of Networking at Business School [Bloomberg]