Applying For Outreachy Internships.

As an alum, it's very common to have people reach out to you because they have questions concerning the Outreachy internship and need help.

In the best possible way that I can, I'd try to answer the most frequently asked questions I get.

Is Outreachy Only For Women?

The short answer is no.

The explanation is that Outreachy is a three-month open-source internship focusing on helping beginners get real-world experience working remotely. It is for traditionally underrepresented, discriminated against, or minority groups.

So if you fall under this category, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or social class, please apply.
Outreachy encourages you to apply.

I don't know how to code, can I still apply?

Yes.

Outreachy encourages a variety of contributions to Open Source. As seen on their website, contribution varies from code -software engineering, design, data analysis, technical writing, UX research, etc.

So yes, code and no-code contributions are definitely welcome.

Do I Need To Have Prior Experience In Open Source?

No. First-time contributors are welcome here. But, I'd advise you to try out contributing to open source once you apply. That, and learning how to use git and other version control tools, because if you do get accepted, these technologies are still what you'd need to use, so it gives you an edge and more balance to already know what it is about before you start contributing.

Do I Need To Have Prior Experience In The Field I would Like To Contribute To?

Again, no.
Outreachy is genuinely very inclusive, so it caters to people of different professional levels.

Typically, once it's time to pick a project to contribute to, the experience levels expected from contributors are written there, so you just pick the one that best suits you.

In Writing My Essays, What Can Help Me Stand Out?

The same thing I tell everyone is this, be as descriptive as possible. If it was a dialogue, you can write out the dialogue, and make the reader feel or at least relate to what you felt. For example:
Person A: "Said, or did this."
Person B: "Reacted this way, etc."

A tip from last year's Twitter space during the contribution period was, you can write about an experience that you fear might happen to you.

Say, for example, you've seen from other people's experiences the kind of discrimination they've gone through because they got into tech and you're worried it might happen to you, you can write about it and the fears you have associated with it.

Is It Just For People In The US?

No.
Outreachy is a remote internship that caters to people from diverse geographical locations. So where you are isn't really a barrier.

Is The Pay Actually 7000 USD?

Yes.
Yes, it is.

The Big Question:

Now that I've filled out the form and submitted it, what's next?

You wait.

Outreachy would let you know if you get in and you would get sufficient help to know what to do next.

Conclusion:

I know this post doesn't contain all the questions to might have, but most of the questions you'd have are already on the Outreachy website. It's actually very detailed, so if you need more clarity, please visit outreachy.org.

Here's my Twitter if you need more help.

Until next time, ciao❤️.

PS: If you think I missed out on a question, please let me know, I'd update the article as needed.