Application Wrap-up

Posted on by Laura

Categories: blog and news

It’s a wrap!

applications are closed!

Applications closed. (Photo: Ana Sofia Pinho)

We finally recovered enough from the applications closing last Sunday to write about it. Just like last year, the last few hours before the 17:59 UTC deadline were intense and we sat in front of our screens until the very end to reply to all the support emails and questions coming in.

This year, we received 92 applications — which is almost double the amount from last year. This is truly amazing! In the very last 24 hours of the application period, the number of submitted applications quadrupled, with the last application submitted a mere 32 seconds before deadline closed. That’s what we call LIVING ON THE EDGE!

living on the edge

Living on the edge. (Image: Buzzfeed)

Because of how we’ve set up our selection process, we will not be able to share information about the location of the different applications just yet; this said, we’ve tried really hard to reach out to several new initiatives worldwide, including a lot of different programming language communities, in the hopes that we could have applicants from different backgrounds, locations, and languages. One thing’s for sure: the next few months are going to be legendary!

And in case you’re wondering just how many support requests we had to answer over the course of the application period, worry no more, we’ve counted them all! Altogether, we’ve received 62 emails, 8 Facebook messages, and 96 requests via our special “application-support” slack channel. On top of that, 78 message threads, mostly by teams looking for coaches, were posted to our Google group community list.

Stats are nice, you say, but: what’s next?
We’re slowly getting started with the selection process, which will consist of 3 different phases; after which, the selection committee will get together to make the final decision. By end of May, we’re hoping to send out the application letters. We know it feels like a long wait, but it will be absolutely worth it! In the meanwhile, why not spread the word about our campaign?
The more funds we have, the more teams we will be able to support this summer <3

If you’ve applied, I’d also like to take a minute to THANK YOU for being excited about this program, for having read the requirements and worked incredibly hard to fulfil those requirements, for having searched for and found a team to work with and for spreading the word. You’ve already made the first step — always remember that.