Before reaching out to me, please take a moment to see if your question is addressed below. You may reach me at:
Julie.Dinh -at- baruch.cuny.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
Students
Are you accepting graduate students?
Baruch’s program is not set up where faculty accept a certain number of students each year. Rather, we admit the top students and then students are assigned to faculty to serve as their first year research mentor based on interests. It is possible that I will be working with an incoming student each year, though I cannot guarantee this ahead of time.
I am also happy to involve students in my lab as research assistants, regardless of advisement; please see below.
Can I set up a brief meeting as a prospective graduate student?
I often receive requests from prospective Ph.D. applicants who would like to talk about my research and work style. I decided to refrain from having these personal conversations in advance of reading all applications, because I do not wish to favor students who received advice about how to connect with prospective advisors or who have connections to me through my current colleagues. Before we make final admissions decisions in our department, we invite our top candidates to visit the campus and have one-on-one discussions with their desired mentors, graduate students, and researchers in the department. I view this as the time when the candidates and prospective mentors can have these types of conversations, to figure out whether Baruch would be a good fit. (Thank you to Elizabeth Levy Paluck for this perspective and language.)
You are welcome to reach out to my current advisees. Please also see below for additional resources that may help you make your decision, prior to prospective students’ days.
Can you tell me if I am a good fit for your graduate program?
I am not in a position to evaluate student candidacy prior to the application process, but I can point you towards a few websites where informational materials are posted:
- My professional site (juliedinh.com), which you are currently on! Later in this student FAQ, there is a description of my mentoring style; there is also graduate application advice under the “Blog” tab.
- Baruch’s program website (iopsych-baruch.com), which has more information on the admissions process and program expectations.
- The Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology’s website (siop.org).
At Baruch, we generally look for students with strong analytical skills and demonstrated interest in psychology.
How do you mentor students?
The following are excerpts from my lab manual, which was developed based on a template from Scott Lanyon, Dean of the Graduate School, and then adapted by Gordon Legge, Psychology DGS, and Moin Syed, Professor of Psychology, at the University of Minnesota. I hope they give you an idea of what it is like to be in my lab.
My job as an advisor is to help my advisees to be successful in their chosen career. I can’t do that if I don’t know what career is desired. I want my advisees to let me know the range of career paths in which they are interested at the earliest possible date.
I expect my advisees to have a personal life outside the lab, and to take breaks from working when applicable.
Although we will have several points of contact during the week, I expect my advisees to work without daily input or guidance from me. My general approach is for you to “figure it out” on your own, but contact me for support if you are stuck. I am always available for consultation and intentionally make myself accessible. If an advisee needs input from me in order to move forward, it is their responsibility to seek me out or schedule a meeting.
Can I work in your lab as a research assistant?
I am always happy to involve students in my lab! To get started, please fill out the interest form here.
Can I enroll in a fully-enrolled class that you are teaching?
Please see Baruch’s psychology department website for information on requesting an over-tally (i.e., the “Enrollment Waiver Request”). I am able to admit students into a full course at my discretion, and take a number of factors into account (including enrollment numbers, student needs, workload, course format, and other variables).
Will you write me a letter of recommendation?
I am happy to support my students, and take my role as an advocate very seriously. However, please first check in with me with your request. Recommenders should be able to write you a strong letter; oftentimes, anything less can be detrimental. Therefore, I will be honest with you regarding my level of confidence in your competencies and familiarity within our professional relationship. If you would like to proceed with the request, you may then complete this Letter of Recommendation Request form (modeled after this reference tip, which you may also find helpful for other recommendation requests).
Researchers
Are you interested in collaborating?
I am always happy to collaborate with others, including on grants and existing projects. In the past, I have worked with major academic medical centers, aerospace agencies, governmental groups, and start-up tech incubators. Please reach out to me to explore and discuss possibilities.
Industry
Do you provide consultation or coaching services?
Yes! I have limited availability for independent contracting work. Previously and currently, I am experienced in a number of services, including focus group facilitation and interviewing around sensitive subjects (including diversity and interpersonal relationships). Prior clients have included healthcare systems, full-service management and diversity consultancies, higher education institutions, and aerospace agencies.
