Rails Girls Summer of Code

FAQ: Students

Who can participate as a student?

We’re looking for women who have participated in any Rails Girls, RailsBridge, or similar newcomer workshop, have participate in a Ruby/Rails study group, or otherwise are getting started with Ruby/Rails as newcomers.

Unlike Google Summer of Code, no status as a student at a university is necessary, and there are certainly no degree or age limitations.

This initiative is focused on bringing more women into the world of open source. Men are not excluded however women are given priority.

Where will Rails Girls Summer of Code take place?

Planet earth.

Rails Girls Summer of Code is an international initiative. Thus, it does not matter where a student or coach lives or where a company is located.

Coaches are supposed to be located as near as possible to students to avoid the student having to accommodate herself in a different city. Ideally coaches can provide a desk at their own workplace so students can sit next to them, ask questions and get support.

How much money will students receive?

Up to 1500 USD per month, for a period of three months.

Are students required to work full-time for all of the three months?

In order to immerse themselves and make a significant contribution to an Open Source project, we recommend that they do. However, if you feel you could achieve these ends working on a more limited time-frame, please explain in your application how you will make things work regardless, and we will consider your points.

What if I don’t fit all the criteria stated on the student page?

The criteria are not minimal standards, but rather recommendations for what we consider to be important for successful participation in a project. That said, we will not necessarily exclude anybody from applying, we will instead give points to each criterion fulfilled. The higher your score, the higher your chance of being selected given that there will most likely be more applicants than places. If you do not fulfil any particular criterion as stated (e.g. coach and student in the same location), but have found a way around this, please explain that to us in your application. We will consider your points and if convinced, give you a point for the criterion anyway.

How will you make sure that the students participate continuously in their projects?

We will require some reporting on progress, most probably a combination of informal (e.g. blog posts about lessons learned) and more formal reporting.

What does an ideal project goal look like?

Please have a look at our application guide for an in-depth explanation of what a good project goal looks like.