We've survived the selection process!
Les jeux sont faits – The chips are down!
We know most of you were eagerly and almost compulsively checking your email last Friday – on the day we said we’d send all acceptance letters to applicants. Choosing wasn’t easy: We received more than 60 team applications in April, and our selection committee took a lot of time to rate every application according to several criteria.
During the selection process, which spanned over two weeks, every single member of the committee looked at every application and at the learning history and skill level of each student and made notes and comments, to later be discussed within the whole group. Part of our google hangout conference call for the selection discussion was even done from an airport – if that’s not commitment, then we don’t know what is..
What we looked for, among other things, was an involvement within the community, a strong motivation to learn, and a solid project plan that showed initiative and understanding of the project. As stated in our requirements, we also strongly gave preference to two-women teams and non-remote teams that have found local support in the form of coaches and study groups. In spite of our criteria and requirements, we also understand that every applicant is an individual with different personal histories and goals, and that it being a global program, not all the criteria might apply everywhere. This is why we attempted to get to know the applicants through their applications and carefully read each one several times.
It truly breaks our hearts not to be able to accept everyone, as we have limited funding and resources. In spite of all the students we had to reject, we also have some good news. This year we broke a personal record by having the highest amount of sponsored teams to date!
To all the students who did not make into into the program this year: we encourage you to try again next year. If you’ve sent us an email about wanting extra feedback regarding your application, you will hear from us soon, but please be patient. We are truly hoping that you will not give up – there are a ton of great initiatives and programs out there, and we encourage you to get involved in your community and find like-minded people who will join you on your learning path.
We’re looking forward to an amazing summer with all of you: students, coaches, supervisors, volunteers. Thank you for being a part of this – here’s to the Rails Girls Summer of Code 2015!
