How to start contributing for GSoc 2016?
Thanks for your interest. 

As one of the admin for this year, I'm going to try to explain a bit more the process.

So right now, we are in the process of applying to be selected as one of the organisations Google supports, until this is done and if we are chosen again, you will then need to wait a bit more before being able to apply to the GSoC and propose a project with CiviCRM

For the detailled timeline: https://developers.google.com/open-source/gsoc/timeline

As a student, you will need to show us that you are interested by our organisation, are motivated and have the skills -or will get them quickly- and work well with your mentor and the community at large.

So definitely, doing things like participating here and asking or answering questions, hanging out in IRC or in the GSoC part of our forum are all good steps, you are on the right track!

This year, we will be stricter on the selection process, both because we want to get students that have a high chance of succeeding their project and because we want them to have a positive first experience contributing to an opensource project and hopefully stay after the summer... and who knows, find a job thanks to that summer once they finish their studies.

So we will expect the students 


to have installed civicrm (the development version)
being able to use git to modify files and create pull requests
being able to report daily on what they have done and where the need help
having good contacts with their mentors, and weekly update


We will want that reporting and communication as light as possible, but not lighter.

We will test these points, we will have tests around the git workflow, and you will need to work with your mentor to prepare the project proposal and have something both the student and us feel will be doable in the timeframe and useful. 

Right now, we have a discussion with other organisations that participated to GSoC and are compiling the best how-to and processes, we should publish our own version tomorrow. 

Stay tuned...