A recipe for Google Summer of Code success

Introduction to Google Summer of Code

Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is a highly competitive global program that offers student developers stipends to write code for open source projects. Since its inception in 2005, the program has brought together over 18,000 students and 17,000 mentors from over 130 countries worldwide to create over 40 million lines of code.

Getting selected for GSoC is no small feat. In 2022, only 1,209 students were accepted out of 8,939 total applications, yielding an acceptance rate of just 13.5%. The acceptance rate has remained between 12-14% over the past few years.

Year	# Orgs	# Countries	# Students	# Mentors	Acceptance Rate
2022	203	99	1,209	2,749	13.5%
2021	199	103	1,286	2,506	12.5%
2020	198	66	1,106	2,347	14.1%
2019	206	107	1,276	2,370	12.7%
2018	212	114	1,264	2,156	12.9%

So what does it take to be part of the top ~13% selected for this prestigious program? As a former GSoC student and now mentor, I‘m happy to share my recipe for success.

The 4 key stages of GSoC

The GSoC program has 4 main stages that span several months:

1. Proposal

The proposal stage is where you choose an open source organization, engage with their community, and write a compelling proposal for a project you‘d like to work on. This stage typically runs from March through early April.

Some tips for selecting an organization and project:

• Start exploring early, at least a month before the proposal deadline. The organizations list is usually published in late February.

• Read the organization‘s ideas page and look through their past GSoC projects. Reach out to the community and past students to learn more about their experience.

• Focus on organizations that align with your skills and interests. Look for ones that have clear project ideas and an active, welcoming community.

• Select a project that is well-scoped for the GSoC timeline (12 weeks of coding) and plays to your strengths, but also stretches your abilities.

Once you‘ve found a match, it‘s time to start on your proposal. This is the most important part of the process. Per data from Google, the median proposal word count for accepted students was 1,500 words. Top proposals include:

• A detailed description of the project goals and scope
• A clear timeline with milestones and deliverables for each coding period
• Links to your past coding projects or contributions to the organization
• Demonstration of your relevant skills and eagerness to learn
• References to discussions you‘ve had with the organization‘s mentors

Some anti-patterns I‘ve seen in proposals:

• A proposal that copies heavily from the project description without adding your own perspective or plan
• A timeline that is vague or overpromises what can be accomplished in 12 weeks
• No evidence that you‘ve engaged with the organization‘s community or mentors
• Limited coding experience or projects to point to

Treat your proposal like a job application – something you spend significant time tailoring to the organization. Successful students typically spend at least 2 weeks working on their proposals.

2. Community Bonding

If you‘re one of the lucky students to be accepted, congrats! The next stage is the 4-week community bonding period in May.

This is your opportunity to get to know your mentor and the organization‘s community. You‘ll take part in online discussions, refine your project plan, and get your development environment set up. This stage is critical for ensuring you and your mentor are aligned on project scope and setting you up for a productive coding period.

Some tips for the community bonding period:

• Set up a regular meeting cadence with your mentor and stick to it
• Ask lots of questions and listen to your mentor‘s feedback
• Get involved in the community – join the chat channels, attend virtual events, contribute to docs or issues
• If your project plan needs to evolve based on new info, be sure to discuss with your mentor and reach agreement before the coding starts

3. Coding Periods

The main coding phase happens over 12 weeks from June through August. You‘ll have 3 evaluations (one after each 4 week period) where your mentor will assess your progress.

Some advice for the coding periods:

• Agree with your mentor on a deliverable before each evaluation. Break your work down into 4-week milestones.
• Commit code early and often. Don‘t wait until the last minute to push your work.
• Write clean, well-documented, and tested code. Treat it as if you were a full-time employee.
• Overcommunicate with your mentor. Send frequent updates, raise blockers early, and be responsive on chat.
• If you get stuck, don‘t spin your wheels too long before asking for help. Your mentor is there to support you.
• Be mindful of time zones and vacation schedules for your mentor and yourself. Plan ahead if there will be any gaps in availability.

Having been on both sides now as a student and mentor, the most common challenges I‘ve seen students face are:

• Underestimating the time required for certain tasks, leading to delays
• Getting stuck on a problem and not reaching out for help soon enough
• Disappearing for stretches of time or missing meetings with their mentor
• Pushing a large amount of code in the final days before the evaluation without time for review
• Focusing on functionality but not code cleanliness, docs, and tests

The best projects are those where the student is communicating regularly with their mentor, breaking down the work into manageable chunks, and striking a balance between writing features and infrastructure.

4. Final Evaluation & Beyond

After you pass your final evaluation in late August, you‘ll be asked to submit a summary of your experience and accomplishments to the GSoC site.

Top-performing students may receive invitations to the annual GSoC Mentor Summit, a 3-day unconference where representatives from the mentor organizations gather to reflect on the program. This is a special honor that looks great on your resume.

But the benefits of completing GSoC stretch far beyond a single summer. Past students have said:

"The networks I made during GSoC have helped me immensely in my career. I still regularly chat with my GSoC mentor today and he‘s given me great advice over the years. It‘s really valuable to have those relationships." – Jatin, GSoC student 2016

"GSoC was my gateway into the world of open source. It taught me how to collaborate with a distributed team, give and receive feedback on my code, and the importance of writing maintainable software. I still contribute to open source projects to this day because of my GSoC experience." – Ling, GSoC student 2018

"Completing GSoC helped me stand out from my peers when applying for full-time jobs. Employers were impressed with the fact that I had worked on a real-world project with an established organization. It gave me a huge leg up." – Priya, GSoC student 2019

Conclusion

Succeeding at Google Summer of Code takes a combination of strong technical skills, initiative and drive, and effective communication and planning. The recipe, in summary:

• Do your research and find an organization and project that excites you
• Write a compelling, detailed proposal that shows your capabilities and motivation
• Stay engaged with your organization‘s community during the bonding period
• Plan out your coding periods and stick to a regular cadence with your mentor
• Communicate proactively, ask for help when needed, and prioritize code quality
• Treat the experience as a remote internship – be professional and produce great work
• Leverage the accomplishment and relationships long after the summer ends

GSoC is an incredible opportunity to grow your skills, make an impact in the open source community, and boost your career. Yes, the odds of being selected are low, but don‘t let that deter you. You‘ll never know unless you try. And even if you aren‘t selected on your first attempt, the process of preparing a proposal and engaging with an open source community is incredibly valuable in itself.

I hope this guide has given you a comprehensive overview of what it takes to succeed at Google Summer of Code. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions – I‘m always happy to help aspiring GSoC participants.

Best of luck! Remember – you can‘t win if you don‘t apply.