Routing Open Source

A practical, end-to-end guide for GSoC and Outreachy applicants

Open source programs like Google Summer of Code (GSoC) and Outreachy are not random opportunities. They are structured pipelines.

If you treat them like pipelines, your odds improve dramatically.

This article tracks two complete paths, step by step.

Big Picture Timeline for 2025

Outreachy 2025 (Typical Windows)

• February – March: Initial application opens
• March – April: Essay submission and eligibility checks
• April – May: Contribution period
• June: Intern selection
• June – August: Internship period

Official site: https://www.outreachy.org

Google Summer of Code 2025 (Typical Windows)

• January – February: Organizations apply to GSoC
• February: Accepted organizations announced
• March: Contributor applications open
• April: Proposal submission and review
• May: Accepted contributors announced
• May – August: Coding period

Official site: https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com

Route 1: Outreachy Path (Example Project: OmegaUp)

Step 1: You Got Accepted. What Now?

You passed the eligibility and essay stage. Good.

Now Outreachy shifts from identity to execution.

Your next priority is:

Becoming a visible, reliable contributor during the contribution period.

Step 2: How Do You Pick a Project?

You do not pick randomly.

You evaluate projects using these criteria:

• Active maintainers
• Clear contribution guidelines
• Beginner-friendly issues
• Public communication channels

OmegaUp fits well because:

• It has structured tasks
• It welcomes first-time contributors
• It values documentation and frontend contributions

Project page will usually be linked from Outreachy’s dashboard.

Step 3: How Do You Join the Community?

Most projects list communication channels in one of these places:

• README.md
• CONTRIBUTING.md
• Outreachy project description

Typical channels:

• Slack
• Discord
• Zulip
• Mailing lists
• GitHub Discussions

When you join:

• Introduce yourself briefly
• Mention you are an Outreachy applicant
• Ask where contributors coordinate tasks

Step 4: Where Do You Find Tasks?

Tasks usually live in:

• GitHub Issues
• GitLab Issues
• Project task trackers linked from Outreachy

Look for labels like:

• good first issue
• beginner
• help wanted
• Outreachy

You do not wait for tasks to be assigned.

You pick one and comment:

“I would like to work on this issue. Is it okay if I start?”

Step 5: Do You Set Up the Codebase Locally?

Yes. Always.

Even documentation changes benefit from local setup.

Typical steps:

• Fork the repository
• Clone it locally
• Follow setup instructions exactly
• Run the project
• Fix setup issues and document them if unclear

Step 6: Who Assigns Work to You?

Usually:

• No one assigns tasks formally
• Maintainers guide and review
• You self-select tasks

Your responsibility is momentum.

Step 7: How Do You Get Noticed During Outreachy?

You get noticed by:

• Finishing tasks you start
• Communicating progress publicly
• Responding to feedback quickly
• Helping others who are stuck
• Writing clear pull request descriptions

Not by:

• Big claims
• Overpromising
• Silent grinding

Route 2: GSoC Path (Example Organization: Wikimedia)

Step 1: January to February. Preparation Phase

Before contributor applications open, you should:

• Review past Wikimedia GSoC projects
• Read proposal archives
• Explore their repositories
• Join community channels early

Wikimedia communication often happens on:

• Phabricator
• Mailing lists
• IRC or Matrix
• Git repositories on Gerrit or GitHub

Step 2: Organization Acceptance Announcement

Once Wikimedia is accepted as a GSoC organization:

• Project ideas are published
• Mentors are listed
• Contact channels are made explicit

This is when your work becomes visible.

Step 3: How Do You Pick a Wikimedia Project?

Strong selection criteria:

• Clear project scope
• Active mentor responses
• Technology you can reasonably learn
• Existing documentation

Avoid projects that:

• Are vaguely defined
• Have unresponsive mentors
• Require deep domain knowledge with no onboarding

Step 4: Community Bonding Before Proposal Submission

This is where many applicants fail.

Before submitting your proposal:

• Introduce yourself to mentors
• Ask clarifying questions
• Fix at least one small issue
• Show you can navigate their tooling

Step 5: Proposal Writing

A strong GSoC proposal includes:

• Clear problem definition
• Realistic milestones
• Understanding of the codebase
• A learning plan
• A fallback plan

It is not a motivational essay.

It is a technical plan written for engineers.

Step 6: After Acceptance. What Happens?

If selected:

• You enter community bonding
• You refine your timeline with mentors
• You finalize deliverables
• You begin structured development

You are expected to:

• Communicate weekly
• Track progress publicly
• Adjust scope when needed
• Ask questions early

Step 7: How Do You Stay Valuable During GSoC?

You stay valuable by:

• Writing tests
• Improving documentation
• Reviewing related changes
• Helping other contributors
• Leaving the project better than you found it

GSoC success is measured by impact, not lines of code.

Shared Rules for Both Paths

These matter everywhere:

• Consistency over brilliance
• Communication over isolation
• Follow-through over ambition
• Respect for maintainers’ time

You are not trying to impress. You are trying to collaborate.

Final Perspective

Open source programs are not gates you magically pass.

They are paths you walk deliberately.

If you:

• Start early
• Choose projects wisely
• Show up consistently
• Learn in public

You stop being “an applicant” and start being “a contributor”.

That is the real routing.