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Ask HN: What makes a great Google Summer of Code application?

6 points by kmf ↗ HN
This year's GSoC applications are due 04/02. I've been working on mine for the last week (applying for a Ruby gig with Twitter) and I'm at the point where I'm losing sleep, I'm getting so nervous.

To past participants and mentors: what should I do to make my application be completely kick-ass?

The most obvious thing, I would guess, is passion about the topic. I've picked something that I'm passionate about (internationalization, Ruby) and I think that comes across in my application. But what else do I need to know?

Thanks for potentially helping me sleep peacefully again!

2 comments

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arjunnarayan
I was a GSoC in Summer 09. Don't think of it as a GSoC application. It really isn't. You are applying to a particular group (or two or three at most) to work with them as an intern on their specific project. A less relevant fact is that Google is going to be paying you. Direct your application to them _directly_, and convince them to hire you.

The golden rule of internships is that internships are a lot of work for the people doing the hiring. Convince them that you're going to not be a pain to mentor, and are competent at execution. Even though they're not burning cash (Google is), it still is significant work for them to mentor you. Make it worth their time.

MSexton
GSoC 2008 participant here. arjunnarayan is correct, you're not applying to Google. I hung around the forums for months leading up to the application process. I had also created a crude prototype already. I mocked up some screenshots in GIMP of what I envisioned the finished product, which I think helped a lot.

Be passionate about the group (Twitter), as well as your project. Answer questions people have about your proposal.