Blog post courtesy of Guest Blogger, Carlos Dinkins, MBA 2012
The University of Texas’s well-known and well-proclaimed motto of “What Start’s Here Changes The World” is true in every aspect of that celebrated quote. However for those MBA students who have excelled in enhancing diversity throughout their community and have exhibited a passion to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in business, the art of changing the world starts before you ever step on campus!
Before I explain this I feel it is prudent for you to understand my background to understand this blogs future. My name is Carlos Dinkins and I am a second year MBA student at the McCombs School of Business concentrating in Marketing & Brand Management. I am originally from Atlanta, GA, did my undergraduate studies at Florida State University majoring in Psychology and Military Strategy, and after graduating from FSU I spent five years on active duty as a Tactical Intelligence Officer in the Army. After leaving the military I worked as a military consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, got accepted into McCombs and now here I am. I just recently completed my summer internship as a Category Manager for PepsiCo and will be returning to PepsiCo next summer as a full time Category and Sales Manager. In addition, I am the Armed Forces Alumni Association President, member of the McCombs Admissions Committee, but more importantly with regards to this blog I am the liaison for the Consortium of Graduate Studies in Management here at McCombs. I can tell you with unequivocal resolve that joining the Consortium was the greatest decision of my graduate career. My future career with PepsiCo was made possible by the Consortium as I received my offer to intern with PepsiCo through Consortium’s Orientation Program (OP) in the summer of 2010. 
As I alluded to earlier, I was able to secure not only an offer from PepsiCo, but from another Fortune 500 company at OP before I even stepped onto campus. The OP experience was an eye opening experience into National Career Fairs but from a more intimate, detailed perspective. I was able to engage numerous corporations that I was interested in working for and I was also able to build a strong personal and professional brand through the pre-OP training and on-the-spot guidance from school officials and students just like myself. I personally had such an amazing experience at OP that I put every effort possible into becoming the liaison for the incoming class and preparing them like I was prepared for OP. The following are my “3 C’s” for how I prepared the Class of 2013 for success at OP-2011 and I hope this gives you a glimpse into how they succeeded:
- Cultivate: OP is more than just a career fair; it’s a life altering experience! That experience is shared as a group and cultivating a powerful team before going to OP is essential. I made every effort to stress first and foremost how important the relationships you build with your fellow Consortium classmates are as they will be the ones in the trenches with you. Giving real life testimony of how fellow classmate and Consortium Alum Samir Khandhar helped me procure my interview with PepsiCo highlighted that cultivating a proficient “Class” was key to navigating OP. Side note: I was proud to see this in action at OP-2011 as I witnessed McCombs students help each other secure interviews with Peabody Energy in the same mold that Samir did with me.
- Communicate: Early in the consortium process communication is key and continues to permeate throughout your time at McCombs. We start by reaching out via email and personal calls to the incoming class. That is followed by a weekly one-hour conference call to communicate ideas, best practices, and approaches for navigating OP. These calls are vital as they serve to build better resumes, elevator pitches, and interviewing skills prior to OP. More importantly, this intimate communication approach mirrors the career services course given to all students during their first year. Talk about a head start!
- Coach: This is where the rubber meets the road. Emails and personal calls are essential but coaching in person is CLUTCH! As liaison you are fortunately tasked with attending OP with the incoming class and being their Coach-Mentor-Trainer and in some instances Drill Sergeant. Having a friendly face at OP is worth its weight in gold as during each step of the OP process. In the case of OP-2011, the incoming class benefitted from the company leverage presented by both myself and fellow liaison Morgan Simental, as we donned dual hats representing McCombs and our internship companies (PepsiCo & DPSG, respectfully).
Bottom-line: The extensive care and collaboration that goes into preparing the incoming McCombs Consortium class for OP is without a doubt the best in the country. I challenge you to find a better university in the Consortium portfolio; one that prepares students for OP, earns internships, and turns those into full-time offers. I said it before and I will say it again, The OP-Experience, which starts just before you step on campus, truly changes the world! HOOK EM’!!!
Respectfully,
Carlos L. Dinkins
University of Texas at Austin – McCombs School of Business
MBA Class of 2012
carlos.dinkins@mba12.mccombs.utexas.edu