2019 Email Announcements

This is an archive of all broadcast emails sent to Accepted Students.

June 24, 2019: First Evaluations of your mentor due before Friday, June 28th at 18:00 UTC

First Evaluations

We hope this first month of coding in GSoC 2019 has been exciting for you.

Evaluations are now open!

All students must complete an evaluation of their mentor before the June 28th 18:00 UTC deadline or they will fail GSoC. Please go to your dashboard on the GSoC program site and complete your evaluation of your mentor before Friday, June 28th at 18:00 UTC.

We encourage you to do it right now so you don't forget - remember, the evaluation form will only take 5 minutes to complete and is REQUIRED. If you don't complete the evaluation by the deadline you will automatically fail GSoC and not receive any stipends. The deadline can not be extended for any reason. Every year there are a few students who would have passed if they took the time to complete the very short evaluation form, please don't let that be you.

Receiving The First Stipend

If you receive a passing evaluation but have not already registered for your Payoneer account using the link we sent you in early May you will not receive any stipends (we can't put money into an account that doesn't exist yet). You will receive your stipend after you successfully sign up with Payoneer and your account is approved.

Important Upcoming Dates

• June 24-28: Evaluation 1: Students submit the first evaluation of their Mentor (and Mentors submit their first evaluation of students)
• June 28 18:00 UTC: First Evaluation Deadline
• June 30: First payment is sent to students who pass their first evaluation (and who have completed their Payoneer registration)
• July 22 - 26: Second evaluation period - students submit evaluations of mentors
• July 26 18:00 UTC: Second Evaluation Deadline
• July 29: Students who pass second evaluation receive second payment (30%)

Important Links for Students

GSoC 2019 Student Email archive
GSoC Student Guide
Roles and Responsibilities

Need to contact Google Administrators? Please contact us at [e-mail]

Best,
GSoC team

June 18, 2019: First Evaluations will open June 24-28 18:00 UTC

Quick reminder that the GSoC 2019 Student and Mentor Evaluations open on Monday, June 24th at 18:00 UTC (mark your calendars!). At that point, all students will be able to complete the short evaluation about their mentor and their GSoC experience from their GSoC dashboard.

Remember, the evaluation form will only take 5 minutes to complete and is REQUIRED - don't miss the deadline and fail GSoC because you didn't take the 5 minutes to complete the evaluation.

Deadline for students to complete the evaluation form is Friday, June 28th at 18:00 UTC.

Important Upcoming Dates

• June 20: Deadline for non US citizens/students to register for Payoneer account (if they wish for no delays in payment of first stipend.) Deadline for US citizens and US students to complete the tax form available on their Payoneer dashboard.
• June 24-28: Evaluation 1: Students submit the first evaluation of their Mentor (and Mentors submit their first evaluation of students)
• June 28 18:00 UTC: First Evaluation Deadline
• June 30: First payment is sent to students who pass their first evaluation (and who have completed their Payoneer registration)

Frequently Asked Questions

Remember to read the GSoC Payoneer page.

1. Am I required to fill out a US tax form? If you are a US citizen, US resident alien, or will be in the US during any of the coding period from May 27-August 23, you are required to fill out a tax form. If you followed the instructions and completed your Payoneer registration before May 28th then you should see the tax form on your Payoneer dashboard when you log in to your account now.

2. I am a US citizen/resident or am in the US during the coding period but I don't see the tax form in my Payoneer dashboard what do I do? Please contact [e-mail] so they can let Payoneer know you need the tax form link sent to you.

   If you feel you have received the tax form requirement in error (or if you believe you need to complete a form and weren't sent one), please contact us at [e-mail]

3. I haven't set up my Payoneer account yet, what will happen to my 1st stipend? We can't put money into an account that you haven't created. If you do not have a Payoneer account you can not receive the 1st stipend. Once you create your account you'll have to notify us so we can then add your funds (this is not a good option- get your account set up ASAP, you've had 6 weeks to do so!).

Email Archive

We have created an archive where all GSoC 2019 Student Emails will be saved so you can go back and reference the emails sent to you this summer in case you accidentally delete one.

Need to contact Google Administrators? Please contact us at [e-mail]

May 23, 2019: Important Reminders for May

Coding officially begins for GSoC 2019 on Monday, May 27th.

By now you should have made a solid plan with your mentor for your expected milestones during the program. If you are not clear on what is expected of you particularly for the first 4 weeks of the program please reach out to your mentors over the next few days to clarify.

Deadlines to Create Payoneer Accounts

All students planning to accept stipends must register for their Payoneer account using the link that we sent you a few weeks ago. We encourage you to take care of your Payoneer registration as soon as possible so you can spend your next month focused on your actual project.

• Non-US citizens and non-US students need to submit Payoneer registrations by June 20th at the latest to receive your stipend on time.

• US citizens or students who will be in the US for any point during the coding period you must complete your Payoneer registration by May 28th so a tax form link can be sent to you from Payoneer the first week of June. Once that tax form is sent to you (around June 3rd) you will have until June 17th to complete it.

Payoneer Frequently Asked Questions

Remember to read the GSoC Payoneer page.

I registered for a Payoneer account using the link you sent but I don't know if my account is okay. How can I tell?
Please log into your Payoneer account and verify your account is active and linked to the Google Summer of Code program by looking at the Funding Sources section from your Dashboard. Contact Payoneer directly if you have any doubt about the status or accuracy of your account by using their website or by phone. If you are calling from within the United States, dial 1-800-251-2521. If you are calling from outside the United States, dial 1-646-658-3695.

I won't be able to complete my Payoneer registration by June 20th. What does that mean for me?
Your payment(s) will be delayed. We can't put funds into an account that doesn't exist. How long it will be delayed depends on how long it takes you to complete your registration and have it approved by Payoneer. The approval from Payoneer usually takes 3-7 business days if you submit the correct documents.

I want to change the account details on my Payoneer account, how do I do that?
Any changes related to your Payoneer account should be made directly on your dashboard in Payoneer. If needed, please reach out to Payoneer directly by using their website or by calling them. If you are calling from within the United States, dial 1-800-251-2521. If you are calling from outside the United States, dial 1-646-658-3695.

I have additional questions about Payoneer. Who do I contact?
Please direct any additional Payoneer questions to the GSoC support list directly- [e-mail]. Do not send questions to the GSoC Student or Discuss lists.

Evaluations

Interested in knowing more about what questions will be on the GSoC evaluations? You can preview the questions here.

Withdrawing from GSoC

If you need to withdraw from the GSoC 2019 program please do so by going to your GSoC dashboard and clicking on the person icon and clicking "withdraw." As a courtesy, please inform your mentor as well.

Important Upcoming Dates

• May 28: Deadline for US citizens and US students to register for Payoneer account
• June 20: Deadline for non US citizens/students to register for Payoneer account
• June 24-28: Evaluation 1: Students submit the first evaluation of their Mentor (and Mentors submit their first evaluation of students)
• June 30: First payment goes out to students who passed their first evaluation

Email Archive

We have created an archive where all GSoC 2019 Student Emails will be saved so you can go back and reference the emails sent to you this summer in case you accidentally delete one.

Need to contact Google Administrators? Please contact us at [e-mail].

Best,
GSoC team

*Tax forms are only required for about 5% of you. If you are not a US resident or US citizen or not currently residing/attending school in the US during the GSoC coding period, you are not required to fill out a tax form.

May 6, 2019: Important Notes for your GSoC Summer!

Welcome to Google Summer of Code 2019! We look forward to seeing the great things you will accomplish this summer during the program - welcome to the GSoC community!

Please read this entire email. It contains very important information regarding your participation in GSoC 2019. Throughout the program, you will receive more emails from Google from this email address - please be sure to read them carefully. You are responsible for meeting all required deadlines and these emails will remind you of deadlines as well as give you important details throughout the program to help you have a successful GSoC.

What do I do now?

1. Read the Accepted Students Information page - VERY IMPORTANT!
2. Be sure to read the GSoC roles and responsibilities page so you know what is expected of you but also what to expect from your Mentor this summer.
3. Talk to your mentor and community!
4. Set up your Payoneer account using the special link sent in the personalized email sent in the last 24 hours (the email with your acceptance letter attached).
5. In case you haven't seen the short YouTube video we created "Congrats! You're a GSoC student" check it out for some helpful tips for the summer (it's less than 3 minutes).

Letter of Acceptance

You should have received a GSoC 2019 Letter of Acceptance earlier today attached to the personalized email with your Payoneer activation link. We are unable to offer any alterations of these acceptance letters.

Withdrawing from GSoC 2019

If you need to withdraw from GSoC 2019 now or at any point during the program, please be sure to contact your mentor immediately so they know that you are withdrawing. Then withdraw yourself from the GSoC program by hitting the "withdraw" button on your dashboard. Once this button is pushed you can not get back into the GSoC 2019 program.

Receiving your GSoC Stipends

You should have received an email from us earlier today with the link you must use to create your Payoneer account. You MUST use the specific link that we sent you as it is unique to you and has instructions on how to register for your Payoneer account. For more information on your stipend, please visit the Student Stipends page.

Payoneer

• Many non-US based students ask us if it is better to receive funds in your local currency or in USD. Our experience is that your local currency is preferable because Payoneer's exchange fees are often better than what your local bank may charge. Google covers a majority of the other fees around your cards or bank transfers, but does not cover currency exchange fees. Every bank is different, which makes it difficult for Google or Payoneer to provide a specific estimate of which method is better.
• After you submit your Payoneer registration it will usually take 1-4 business days to receive an approval email from Payoneer saying "Congratulations - your Payoneer account application has been approved!" If you are subject to US taxes, you will receive a request to fill out tax forms around June 3rd.
• Remember to read the GSoC Payoneer page

If you have questions about your Payoneer account you should reach out to Payoneer directly using their website or by phone. If you are calling from within the United States, dial 1-800-251-2521. If you are calling from outside the United States, dial 1-646-658-3695.

Payoneer will respond to your inquiries within a couple of business days (usually earlier). Please be patient.

Not Planning to Accept any Stipends?

We realize for some students the stipend is something they can not accept due to their visa status, etc. That is okay, but please do the following two things so we know you do not wish to accept any funds.

1. Simply don't register for a Payoneer account (no account=no stipend)
2. Email us at [e-mail] so we will stop reminding you to register for a Payoneer account.

Important dates

• May 6 - 27: Community Bonding Period
• May 27: Coding begins
• June 20: Deadline to set up your Payoneer account
• June 24-28: First evaluation period - students submit evaluations of mentors
• June 30: Students who pass first evaluation receive first payment (30%)
• July 22 - 26: Second evaluation period - students submit evaluations of mentors
• July 29: Students who pass second evaluation receive second payment (30%)
• August 19 - 26: Students submit their code, write tests and documentation, and submit a final evaluation of their Mentor
• August 26 - September 2: Mentors submit final evaluations of students
• September 3: Students passing GSoC 2019 are announced
• September 5 - 15: Students will submit shipping details directly with fulfillment company to receive their tshirts
• September 5: Students who pass receive their final payment
• Mid-Late October: Packages with t-shirts are shipped to students who pass the program

GSoC Student Mailing lists

We have added everyone who opted in to the GSoC Student List. Please remember that this list is for past and present students only. There are many thousands of people on the list (from this year and previous years) so please use it for questions you feel may be helpful to all students - not questions that are specific to you (updating your Payoneer account, questions about your stipend, shipping, etc).

Please do not introduce yourself on the main GSoC Student List, we will moderate those messages and not post them as it is considered spam.

Email Archive

We have created an archive where all GSoC 2019 Student Emails will be saved so you can go back and reference the emails sent to you this summer in case you accidentally delete one.

Need to contact Google Administrators? Please contact us at [e-mail]

Best,
GSoC team