Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

What students think:
"I'll get accepted first try, work on cool features,
and get a job offer immediately after"

What actually happens:
"I apply, get rejected. Reapply next year.
Get accepted. Work hard for 22 weeks.
Learn tons. Maybe get a job, maybe not.
But I'm now a known contributor."

Timeline reality:
Year 0: Learn and contribute (3-6 months prep)
Year 1: Apply and likely get rejected
Year 2: Get accepted
Year 2-3: Post-GSoC work and career benefits

## About Me
 
**Name**: [Your Name]
**Email**: [Email]
**GitHub**: [Profile]
**Timezone**: [UTC offset]
**University**: [If student]
 
### Background
- [Relevant technical experience]
- [Programming languages you know well]
- [Related projects you've built]
 
### Prior Contributions to [Organization]
- PR #123: [Brief description] - Merged
- PR #456: [Brief description] - Merged
- Issue #789: [Description] - Resolved
 
### Why This Project?
[Personal connection to the problem, learning goals, post-GSoC plans]

## Project: [Title]
 
### Problem Statement
[What problem does this solve? Who benefits? Why now?]
 
### Proposed Solution
[High-level approach, key technical decisions, architecture]
 
### Deliverables
1. **[Feature/Component 1]**
   - Implementation details
   - Acceptance criteria
   - Dependencies
 
2. **[Feature/Component 2]**
   - Implementation details
   - Acceptance criteria
   - Dependencies
 
[Continue for all major deliverables]
 
### Non-Goals
[What you're explicitly NOT doing to keep scope manageable]

## Timeline (22 weeks example)
 
### Community Bonding (3 weeks)
- Study existing codebase thoroughly
- Set up dev environment
- Create design document with mentor approval
- Write integration test framework
 
### Week 1-4: [Milestone 1]
- Implement [component A]
- Unit tests for [component A]
- Documentation for [component A]
- **Deliverable**: Working demo of [X]
 
### Week 5-8: [Milestone 2]
- Integrate [component A] with [component B]
- Handle edge cases [list main ones]
- Performance optimization
- **Deliverable**: Feature complete for [Y]
 
[Continue for all milestones]
 
### Buffer Week
- Address code review feedback
- Polish documentation
- Final testing and bug fixes

## Technical Approach
 
### Current Architecture
[Diagram or explanation of relevant parts]
 
### Proposed Changes
[What you'll modify/add with justification]
 
### Key Challenges
1. **[Challenge 1]**
   - Why it's hard
   - Your approach to solve it
   - Fallback plan
 
2. **[Challenge 2]**
   - Why it's hard
   - Your approach to solve it
   - Fallback plan
 
### Testing Strategy
- Unit tests for [components]
- Integration tests for [workflows]
- Manual testing checklist

┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SUCCESSFUL GSOC CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE    │
├────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                        │
│ ✓ 3-5 merged PRs before application    │
│ ✓ Active in community for 2+ months    │
│ ✓ Proposal shows deep understanding    │
│ ✓ Realistic scope with clear timeline  │
│ ✓ Strong communication in discussions  │
│ ✓ Technical blog or portfolio          │
│                                        │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘