Since its inauguration in the summer of 2021, SPRINT has garnered a high degree of interest from high school students across Ontario, Canada. In 2022, the SPRINT Executive Team began collecting demographic data to determine whether SPRINT is reaching Indigenous, Black, and racialized (IBR) students as intended. In 2023, the SPRINT Executive Team launched a longitudinal study to evaluate the program's effectiveness over time.
Statistics incoming...
329 high school applicants from over 20 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
45 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
104 high school applicants from over 20 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
52 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
81 high school applicants from over 33 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
49 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
173 high school applicants from over 33 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
42 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
Why are high school students interested in SPRINT?
“I’m interested because I was really confused on what I should be in future. Psychology seemed very interesting at first but I didn’t know much about it. Even though I took a psychology course we didn’t learn about it much, it was just in general. So I wasn’t sure if that would be something I’m actually interested in because I based it off of the movies or shows I used to watch with the concept in it, the research about what it’s about on the internet and what I learned from school. ”
"SPRINT gave me better insight of what to expect going into a university setting, and also what psychological topics seem most appealing to me."
“I hope to gain some knowledge and experience that would hopefully support my intentions and desires to study psychology in the future. I'd love to have the opportunity to communicate with upper year students about their experiences and advice for my upcoming years.”
“I am interested in attending SPRINT to strengthen my understanding of psychology and to see if it is realistic for me to pursue a career or further education on psychology. I hope to gain knowledge and experience out of attending SPRINT and cannot wait to begin.”
- Responses from SPRINT 2022/2023 applicants
Based on the demographic data collected since 2022, all participants (100%) in past and present SPRINT cohorts identify as either Indigenous, Black, and/or racialized (IBR). The proportions of Indigenous and Black participants have also been increasing over time, from 0% and 10% respectively in 2022 to 7% and 20% in 2024.
More than half of the participants in SPRINT moved on to pursuing psychology in the next grade level and/or in higher education, with some considering to pursue graduate studies in psychology and related fields.
What did participants think about SPRINT?
“I liked learning about so many various topics that fall under psychology and that there are so many different topics within psychology.”
“It greatly helped me to explore the different subjects, especially helping me find my specific interests. As well, since I had basically no prior knowledge in research and writing research papers, this was a well needed learning experience!”
“This program was truly a great experience for wanting to learn more about psychology and even how the experience of being an undergraduate student at university itself might come to be!”
“This program was amazing and I'm so glad I got the chance to take part in it's first year! I hope this program runs again to give more kids the incredible opportunity that I had!”
"[I] will be recommending it to everyone interested in psychology!"
- Testimonials from SPRINT 2022/2023 participants