overunder

I'm sad to hear this but I think some perspective is needed. First, graduate school - especially PhD programs - is not the 'natural' next-step for psychology graduates. If you are a senior, you are competing with people with advanced degrees, work experience, or those with extra years off doing full-time research. These people have anywhere from 50% more to double your experience, knowledge, and expertise. Unless you are an absolute rock star and very lucky, not getting into a PhD program as a senior in college is the norm, not the exception. Based on my observation in mid-tier+ I/O programs, I would say that less than half of the incoming students are "straight out of undergraduate". 1/3 typically have masters in I/O, 1/3 will have some combination of relevant work experience and/or extra years doing research. On top of that, most reputable programs accept like 5~10% of applicants, and most of those applicants are usually top 10~15% of their class. So people that get in, are often literally one of the best undergraduates in their University. And how many decent Ph.D. I/O programs are there in the US? SIOP shows me 70 programs, and taking out some slightly sketch ones, there are maybe 40~50? At an average of 4 incoming students per class, thats 200 students. Thats smaller than my Intro to Psych class. So, if you really, truly want a PhD, take the gap year, get a masters, beef up your research, work hard. There is literally nothing to be ashamed of. One round of rejection is nothing compare to what you will face in grad school

Faculty here. Having had many undergraduate come through with great ideas, interests, and ambitions, the one thing that holds many back is motivation. I can't count on the number of times someone comes in, telling me all the research he/she wants to do, but when it comes times to do the work, nothing is done. As a result, I have learned to be encouraging but also set my expectations low. I will not commit resources or energy unless they (undergrad) have proven him/herself to be reliable and accountable.

Calgary is a strong program. Their business school also has several I/Os, and they work closely with psych folks.

Yes and No. No because your major is a non-factor in admission decisions. Being double-major will not benefit you much. Though, if you are Non-psych, you should be able to articulate a reason why you are applying to a psych Ph.D program. Yes only if you can network with business professors, and see if they can get involved in research. Some schools have OB and management scholars. I'm not sure what the culture of UG research assistants is like in B-schools, but if you can get involved, it would be great. Seeing you are from Georgia, I suggest you major in Psych and seek out one of MANY highly prolific faulty there and get in their lab ASAP. It will do you way more good than a business minor will.

I think there are still ways to convey your interest. You can talk about how much the research culture fits your goals, you can talk about how great the location is for your hobbies, you can talk about how much interest you have with collaboration. Pick a specific aspect of the program and location, and talk as if its the best thing since sliced bread. Honestly, this advice applies to all your applications, even the last choice, you should never let the selection committee think "hm... I'm not sure if he wants to come here". You'd be surprised at how many graduate applicants and even job applicants give off this impression. The fact is, you want to be there enough to fork over the cash right? If nothing else, practice your impression management skills. You can think about fit and make your decision after you have an offer in hand. Before that, you are not in the position to be picky. Its a skill that you will need again when you are on the job market. So why not start practicing now?

This may be obvious to some of you but I'll say this anyways. If a program is truly your top choice, and if you will say "YES" if an offer was extended, LET THEM KNOW one way or another. As an applicant 5 years ago, I let my top choice know that if they made me an offer, I will accept. They did, and I did. Now as a faculty, I ask applicants how they would feel if we extended an offer, and you bet I will make the first offers to someone who I know will say YES first. Now, obviously, I'm not advocating you lie. In academia, everyone knows each other and false promises may come back and hunt you. But if you have a top choice in mind, don't be shy in letting them know that. A lot of the times, the top 2~4 candidates are equal, and in those cases, one bird in hand is worth more than two in the bush.

You are correct. OB programs are NOT training you for applied jobs. If you are on the fence, I would recommend I/O. OB is much more competitive since its in b-schools.