George Peklaris

Home City: Wilmington

Home State: NC

Home Country: United States

Undergraduate Institution: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Undergraduate Degree and Major (and minor, if applicable): Chemical Engineering

Pre-MBA Industry: Manufacturing/Operations

Pre-MBA Company: N/A

Pre-MBA Title: Senior Engineer

Desired industry post-MBA: Consulting

Desired job function post-MBA: Consultant

Student Organization Membership: CleanTech Association, Consulting Association, The Adam Smith Society, Energy Association, Entrepreneurship Association, Private Equity & Venture Capital Association

What has been the most surprising part of your Rice MBA experience? Two things have genuinely surprised me about my Rice MBA experience — one I never expected, and one I probably should have.

The first is the depth of the relationships. After attending event after event — recruiting nights, alumni mixers, casual get-togethers — I started noticing something that felt different from what I assumed an MBA experience would be. People here stay connected for decades. They go to each other's weddings. They build the kind of friendships that extend far beyond campus or a group project. There is a familial quality to this community that I was not expecting, and I think it comes directly from the small class size at Rice. When your cohort is tight-knit by design, the bonds you form are not surface-level networking — they are real. That has been one of the most rewarding parts of my experience so far, and something I do not think you can replicate at a program with a massive class.

The second surprise has been just how competitive post-MBA recruiting really is — especially for someone like me, coming in with over ten years of experience on the ground floor in manufacturing and operations. Industries like consulting, private equity, and investment banking have long attracted top talent with high salaries and compelling work, and I knew they would be competitive. What I did not fully appreciate until I was in it was the level of intentionality required. It is not enough to show up and do well in class. You need a clear plan: why you are getting this MBA, what you want out of it, and how every decision you make supports that goal. Whether you are looking to pivot careers or accelerate in your current one, it is absolutely worth sitting down early and thinking deeply about what you want from this experience — and whether the time and cost commitment aligns with that vision. That clarity makes all the difference, and I wish someone had told me that more directly before I started.

What has been your favorite thing about your MBA experience so far? It might sound counterintuitive, but my favorite part of the MBA experience so far has also been the hardest — going through the entire consulting recruiting process from start to finish. Dozens of case interviews, behavioral interviews, learning how to build a resume and LinkedIn profile that actually tell your story, writing cover letters, networking, presenting yourself with confidence, and learning how to make a strong first impression. All of it. It was demanding, uncertain, and at times genuinely aggravating — especially given that I was laid off just days before the program started.

But looking back, it was one of the most valuable things I have ever done. Warren Buffett has said that one of the best investments he made in himself was taking a Dale Carnegie course on public speaking. I feel similarly about the consulting recruiting process. It forced me to sharpen how I communicate, how I structure problems — thinking in mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive frameworks — and how I sell not just myself but ideas. Those are skills that will pay dividends for the rest of my life, regardless of where my career goes.

Beyond the skill-building, what made the experience special was going through it alongside people from completely different backgrounds and walks of life — different majors, different industries, different reasons for being here. Watching classmates work through what they want their next move to be and understanding why they are drawn to certain paths has been genuinely fascinating. It broadened my own perspective and opened my eyes to career options I never would have considered on my own. The relationships I built along the way made the tough days worth it.

What is one piece of advice you would share with a prospective student – one sentence? Begin with the end in mind — know your why before you start. How do you want to live your life five, ten, twenty years from now? If where you are today is not getting you there, sit with that honestly. That clarity will shape everything — the electives you choose, the story you tell, and how you come across. People can tell when you are genuinely passionate, and that starts with knowing exactly what drives you.