- The Community Bonding period sets the tone for your summer - use it wisely!
- Contact your mentors right away, get to know them and their expectations, grasp the project goals, and use the 3-4 week Community Bonding Period to your advantage to become familiar with the existing codebase.
- Complete all your administrative tasks including setting up your Payoneer account, getting your computer set up with your org's environment, read documentation, etc. so you can focus on coding during the official coding period.
- Communication is key to success in GSoC.
- Take ownership of the project you're working on. Be proactive in setting up weekly syncs, come up with discussion points ahead of time, communicate your ideas and progress in a clear, concise way.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions.
- This experience is meant to be a collaborative effort and it's critical to the success of the project and your contribution that honesty, trust, and transparency exist to foster that collaboration.
- Be kind and respect your peers.
- Open source is a family so help everybody out, respect them and their time (pay attention to different time zones!), and be understanding of varying knowledge levels.
- Make a schedule.
- Break up your project into weekly tasks you can complete over the course of the GSoC program. Talk through this plan with your mentor and keep your mentor updated with any foreseen changes in the timeline. If your schedule changes be sure to contact your mentor so adjustments can be made earlier rather than later.
- Explore existing code before you begin coding.
- Explore all the code from the platform where you are going to participate: libraries, apis, etc. Many things will already be developed and will help you in your development, there's no need to reinvent the wheel.
- Be consistent with your work and learn time management.
- Be consistent with your schedule and contribute every week so you don't lose focus. Reserve enough time not just for coding, but also for testing, writing documentation, code reviews, etc.
- Document your progress
- Keep track of your progress and ask for feedback from your mentor and the community.
Accepted Contributor Advice
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Last updated 2025-06-16 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-06-16 UTC."],[[["Effectively utilize the Community Bonding period to connect with mentors, understand project goals, and familiarize yourself with the codebase, while also completing administrative tasks for a smooth transition into the coding phase."],["Maintain proactive and clear communication with mentors, taking ownership of the project and scheduling regular meetings to discuss progress and address any challenges."],["Foster a collaborative environment by openly asking questions, respecting peers, and offering support to others within the open-source community, while remaining mindful of time zones and varying skill levels."],["Establish a detailed project schedule with weekly milestones, ensuring consistent progress and incorporating time for coding, testing, documentation, and code reviews, and promptly inform your mentor of any necessary adjustments to the timeline."],["Thoroughly explore existing code, libraries, and APIs to leverage pre-built components and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, ultimately maximizing development efficiency."]]],["Key actions during the Community Bonding period include contacting mentors, understanding project goals, and familiarizing oneself with the codebase. Throughout the program, maintain open communication, proactively schedule meetings, and ask questions. Develop a detailed schedule with weekly tasks, keeping mentors informed of changes. Explore existing code and maintain consistent work habits. Prioritize testing, documentation, and reviews alongside coding. Respect peers, and document all progress while soliciting regular feedback. Completing administrative tasks like setting up Payoneer should also be prioritized.\n"]]