So, you’re looking for an internship that allows you to grow your skills while contributing to open source, and you’ve stumbled upon Outreachy. Now, you’re wondering: How do I get through the initial application and reach the contribution stage? You’re in the right place!
Outreachy internships run twice a year—from May to August and December to March. The key to success is preparedness, and you don’t need to wait for applications to open before getting started. Below are the steps I took to get my initial application accepted, allowing me to proceed to the contribution phase of the Outreachy June 2025 internship round.
1. Stay Updated on Outreachy Announcements: Before the application period opened in February, I had already:
- Signed up for their announcement mailing list to receive notifications about the next internship round.
- Followed Outreachy on X (Twitter) for real-time updates.
2. Research and Understand the Process: I took the time to thoroughly research the internship by reading their Applicant Guide page. This helped me understand:
- Eligibility rules
- The application timeline
- What to expect during the contribution phase
3. Prepare Strong Essay Responses: The initial application requires answering the following essay questions:
- What country will you be living in during the internship?
- Are you part of an underrepresented group in the tech industry in your country? How?
- What systemic bias or discrimination would you face when applying for a tech job in your country?
- Does your learning environment have few people who share your identity or background? Provide details.
- What systemic bias or discrimination have you faced while building your skills?
Tips for Answering the Essays:
- Follow the guidelines on the Applicant Guide page.
- Use personal experiences that describe specific challenges you’ve faced.
- Support your points with research data, if possible. For example, if your community discourages women from pursuing education, you can reference a study showing the low education rates of women in your region.
Extra Tip: Write and save your responses in Google Docs or a word processor so that when applications open, you can easily copy and paste your answers.
Congratulations, Your Initial Application is Accepted! What’s Next?
4. Select Projects That Match Your Skills: Once accepted, log into your Outreachy account and go through the projects listed on the Project Selection page.
- Choose at least two projects that align with your skills and experience level.
5. Start Contributing to Your Chosen Projects: Each project has its own contribution guidelines. Click on the individual project pages and painstakingly follow their instructions.
- Make contributions following the project’s requirements.
- Record every contribution—this is crucial for your final application.
- Ask for help in the project’s community if you get stuck. Your mentors and fellow applicants are there to help!
6. Submit Your Final Applications: A few days before the final application deadline, begin working on your final application for both projects you contributed to.
- Fill out all the required details and ensure your contributions are documented.
- Reach out to project mentors for clarification if needed.
- Submit your final applications before the deadline—this is the only way to be considered for selection as an intern.
This application process may seem stressful at first, but by staying prepared, actively contributing, and engaging with mentors, you’ll significantly increase your chances of success. Goodluck!
Top comments (0)