RGSoC 2020 student applications are open!

Posted on February 28, 2020 by RGSoC Team

Categories: blog and news

RGSoC 2020 Applications are now open!

RGSoC 2020 student applications are now open! (thanks to Rebecca Conrad for the original illustrations)

It has been a bumper year for project submissions. Our dedicated volunteer reviewers (thanks, team) have spent the past few weeks, in a haze of caffeine, reading, evaluating and discussing all 48 proposals and have just finished making their (often taxing) decisions. Phew!

We thank everyone who entered a project. While we cannot take them all to the next stage, they were all incredibly interesting and had a lot of merit. As a result of being on our Teams App, some people have already started contributing to the projects that weren’t chosen, so they will still benefit from the process. The RGSoC community is amazing! 😍

Students, start prepping!

Now for some really exciting news. RGSoC student applications have officially started on Monday, 02 March 2020.

Here’s your chance to join a global movement that champions underrepresented groups in the field of tech. If you identify as female or non-binary, have at least 12 months’ experience of coding, and possess a passion to progress as a developer then you’re in the right place!

RGSoC offers a:

unique opportunity to learn while making valuable OS contributions
3-month community-funded scholarship (01 July - 30 September 2020)
network of mentors, coaches, and supervisors who offer code-based and non-technical support throughout the program
choice of incredible open source projects to contribute to while you learn
chance to kick-start (or change into) a career in programming career with valuable experience on your CV/resume

Sounds good, eh?

Everything you need to know about applying can be found in the student guide so please make sure the first thing you do is read it carefully.

When you’ve organised your teammate, apply in the Teams App at https://teams.railsgirlssummerofcode.org/apply

Don’t forget, your teammate should be living in the same region so that you can meet up every day. And remember, you’ll be working together for many, many hours over the three months, so it is a good idea to pair with someone you get on with well.

Good to know

After the application stage closes on 30 March, our courageous band of reviewers will read each and every entry and face the most difficult part of the RGSoC calendar - choosing the successful candidates.

While we’d prefer to offer a place to everyone, the number of scholarships relies on the success of our fundraising campaign. So if you know anyone who can support it, please refer them to https://railsgirlssummerofcode.org/campaign/ . Who wouldn’t be tempted to see their name in lights in exchange for a small donation? Well, on the RGSoC website, anyway.

To help you make a stronger application, think about including details of:

how long you have been coding and what you already (like to) contribute to
any communities you are involved with, such as meetups, workshops or conferences
dreams, goals, long term plans
details you may have discussed with the project maintainer/mentor that led you to choose the RGSoC project(s) in your application
experience of co-working (good and bad - especially if you resolved any issues)

It’s best to start filling the application form early, even if you’re still searching for coaches and/or a working space.

Your application can be saved as a draft for you to continue and submit any time before the deadline. That’s 23:00 UTC on 30 March 2020, remember. Sorry, but any applications received after that time cannot be considered.

Your choice of projects

We’ve got a whole host of delectable open source projects for you to choose from this year. A list of projects and links to read more about each one is included below. We’re now crowdfunding to ensure as many student teams and projects can partificapte in RGSoC starting in July.

Your coaches should be able to advise which projects would be good for you to choose, considering the languages they involve and difficulty level of the tasks. Of course, it’s also important the project interests you, so always keep that in mind.

Volunteer reviewers

In 2018, we received 195 applications from student teams. We hope to have even half that number again this year, but it also means there is a lot of work ahead of us. It takes time to read and review all those applications, and we can’t do it without help.

If you are interested in joining our reviewer team, then please email us on contact@rgsoc.org. (As much as we appreciate all offers, in the interest of being fair applicants cannot also be reviewers.)

Good luck for your applications. We can’t wait to read them!

Projects

Here’s a brief list of all the selected projects to whet your appetite:

Name: adaboost

Technologies: machine-learning-algorithms, cpp11, google-test, cuda boost-python

Name: Backend and middleware for meeting rooms management system

Technologies: Python

Name: Bench-routes

Technologies: Benchmarking, ChartJS, Golang, Monitoring, React, Scalability, Web-Sockets

Name: code curious workshop organising app

Technologies: Ruby, HTML, CSS, Javascript

Name: Community App Boilerplate

Technologies: Flutter, Dart, Firebase, Git, UI/UX

Name: ContriFOSS-Website

Technologies: Python, Django, React, SQL, Git

Name: Cosmos

Technologies: browser extensions, c++, computer science, java, python

Name: Codeuino

Technologies: UI/UX, React, MongoDB, Angular, databases, Javascript, Nodejs, web-development

Name: data science in clojure

Technologies: clojure, R, data science, data visualization

Name: Deep Editing

Technologies: css, flask, git, html, java script, python, tensorflow

Name: EBWiki

Technologies: UI, UX, dev ops, ruby, ruby on rails, web dev

Name: H2

Technologies: typescript, javascript, electron, tensorflow

Name: if-me.org Mental health communication app

Technologies: Ruby on Rails, React, Postgres, HTML, SCSS, CSS, Flow, Storybook, Rspec, Capybara, Jest, Enzyme, Webpack

Name: Ignitus

Technologies: React, Redux, Redux-Sagas, Heroku, Docker, Node.js, Redis, Emotion, Prop-Types, MongoDB, Mongoose, Travis, Sketch, Figma, InVision, Framer