At Scripps, thesis is a rite of passage. Like any proper rite of passage, it can seem even greater than the sum of its parts (which, by the way, are research, a whole lot of writing, and depending on your thesis, a fair amount of statistics). When you walk into The Motley on any given day, there is a 95% chance that you will hear a cluster of seniors complaining animatedly, self-conciously, and  a little more loudly than necessary about their thesis woes. Classmates who rarely otherwise have the chance to talk might bond over a moment of thesis-related pain.

For younger classes, all this spectacle surrounding thesis can be terrifying to watch. I remember going to Capstone Day presentations as a first-year and feeling daunted by how accomplished every presenter seemed to me at the time. As a sophomore and junior, I watched friends hole themselves in their rooms over entire weekends, or even all of spring break, to work on their theses. I learned to stop asking senior classmates how they were doing around March and April, when they would inevitably get a look of panic on their faces upon consulting their inner emotions.

Now I’m less than two weeks out from turning in my own thesis. I’m definitely still alive, and I actually have 35 pages of something that I feel proud of. Here are 5 tips I’ve picked up over the past year for younger Scripps students on how to start thinking about this process, and to help it feel less daunting.

• Thesis is just a class. Thesis can feel overwhelming, especially at the beginning, because it’s a different sort of project than many of us have ever had to complete. It doesn’t help that it gets a reputation for being so stressful. However, from my experience, thesis really doesn’t have to be that significant of a time commitment. To get specific, I spent probably 10 hours on average working on my thesis last semester, and about 15 hours this semester. That’s no more than your average class.

• The brouhaha is a bit of a spectacle. To make a big deal about thesis is a Scripps tradition in and of itself. I’m talking the way thesis always seems to sneak its way into conversation any time a senior is present. We learn from the classes above us, and it’s almost gratifying when it’s our turn to complain about the endless research, statistics, writing, presentations and administrative hoops to jump through. Thesis is stressful, but it’s not that stressful.

• Do start thinking about thesis earlier on. While it’s important to keep things in perspective, I would advise younger students to not put off thinking about thesis. The beginning of Junior year is a good time to begin brainstorming ideas. Scope out your options by talking to other students about what research they did, how they decided upon it, and what it involved. Talk to or work alongside your professors. Join a lab. Jot down any ideas you have in a notebook, but you don’t have to act on them. You have creative licence in planning your thesis, and creativity can take time.

• The finishing stretch is tough. I’m not going to lie here. Last semester and for the first half of this semester, thesis felt fairly laid back. I collected my data, went to the Motley to tap out pages, met with my advisor, and worked at my own pace. However, since spring break, deadlines have been bearing down. As I stay up late into the night rerunning statistical tests, revising my draft for what feels like the millionth time, and formatting my poster, I finally understand the anxiety of previous classes. However, it’s important to remember that this isn’t all of senior year.

• Part of the stress surrounding thesis has nothing to do with thesis. The bad news: senior year of college can still be really, really stressful. College is already hard, but trying to figure out the post-college years makes life much harder. It’s an emotional time as we approach a very different stage of life. Therefore, a lot of external stress gets put onto thesis. Bonding over how stressful thesis is can feel cathartic. Even as we all embark on separate journeys, it’s something we all share as Scripps students.

BONUS: You will feel proud of your thesis. Yes, there is some spectacle surrounding the process. But that doesn’t change the fact that this project is a big deal to complete. It’s hefty piece of academic writing, an incredible learning process, and the culmination of an academic career.