The timeline for GSoc is actually quite tight:

• March 3: Mentoring organizations can begin submitting applications to Google
• March 12: Mentoring organization application deadline
• March 13-17: Google program administrators review organization applications
• March 17: List of accepted mentoring organizations is announced
• Interim Period: Would-be student participants discuss application ideas with mentoring organizations
• March 24: Student application period opens
• March 31: Student application deadline 5:00 PM PDT/00:00 UTC April 1, 2008
• Interim Period: Mentoring organizations review and rank student proposals
• April 11: All mentors must be signed up and all student proposals matched with a mentor
• April 14: accepted student proposals are announced
• Community Bonding Period: students get to know mentors, read documentation, get up to speed to begin working on their projects
• May 26: Students begin coding for their GSoC projects, Google begins issuing initial student payments
• Interim Period: Mentors give students a helping hand and guidance on their projects
• July 7: Mentors and students can begin submitting mid-term evaluations
• July 14: Mid-term evaluations deadline, Google begins issuing mid-term student payments
• Interim Period: Mentors give students a helping hand and guidance on their projects
• August 11: Suggested 'pencils down' date. Take a week to scrub code, write tests, improve documentation, etc.
• August 18: Firm 'pencils down' date. Mentors, students and organization administrators can begin submitting final evaluations to Google
• September 1: Final evaluation deadline, Google begins issuing student and mentoring organization payments
• September 3: Students can begin submitting required code samples to Google
• October or November, details TBD: Mentor Summit at Google: Representatives from each successfully participating organization are invited to Google to greet, collaborate and code. Mission for the weekend: make the program even better, have fun and make new friends