4th Year Traditions

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The fourth and final year of TiP is the last part of the emotional roller-coaster that is TiP. Fourth year is magic, epic, and the best of all years, but also the saddest, because it is the last.

Fourth years are known to:

  • start obnoxious conga lines during dances.
  • grind promiscuously, also during dances.
  • complain loudly and often that TiP used to be so much cooler!
  • dress promiscuously.
  • win at quadfest.
  • stay up late.
  • break rules.
  • cry on the Last Night.
  • have inordinate TiP spirit.
  • At West and Tech, go down the Red carpet.
  • Go to an all-night pancake restaurant the final night
  • Go to Denny's on the last night ( Texas A&M)


Fourth Year Privileges

  • Wear special orange shoelaces.
  • Have extended boundaries during free time (if travelling in groups of 3)
    • May go to Ninth Street, the Union, or King Street during free time, if at East.
    • May go to the Bryan Center at West, if in groups of three (as of current rules).
    • May go to the Tate Student Center/Library/Bookstore at UGA
    • May go to the Rice Student Center whilst at Rice University
    • May go to the Student Center or Sublime Doughnuts at Georgia Tech
  • Start Doggy doggy doggy.
  • Form a Fourth-Year Circle in the center of the circle formed by all TIPsters when "American Pie" is played at dances. (At West and Tech they chant Die! Die! Die! with everyone else but then they go on to say Live! Live! Live! Sex! Sex! Sex! More! More! More!)
  • At West, sit on the Fourth Year bench before class. (Please don't let this one die! I mean the orange bench and green lanyards don't mix)
  • Write a 4th Year Will.
  • Do 4th Year skits at the Talent Show.
  • Give a Fourth Year speech at the end of the Talent Show.
  • Stay up late on the last night
  • Climb the Chapel the last Friday Morning (that wasn't offered West 2012 Term 2)
  • Can go to the bookstore and Rudder Tower if at A&M
  • Are taught to play VC/Vietnamese Cards, a game normally restricted to 4th years, with the occasional 3rd year.
  • It was rumored at Duke West 2011 Term II that murder was a Fourth Year privilege, but this was never tested.

Fourth Year Wills

Notes in the term books written by fourth year TIPsters. Traditionally, 4th Year Wills are made up of inside jokes between TIP students. The note usually begins, "I, [insert name here], being of [adjective] mind and [adjective] body, bequeath the following to..." in an attempt to parody real-life wills.

An intense debate rages concerning the recipients of fourth year wills. Some fourth years leave things to other fourth years. Others prefer to only include third years in their wills, while directing their last sentence to all fourth years. Majority approval belongs to the former, while the creator of this page thinks that the latter is better. (People can leave things to second years, too.)

Characteristics of a Fourth Year Will

  • Begins with the beginning written above
  • Compiles inside jokes
  • If necessary, leaves rights to a tradition
  • Less than 250 words (changed to 150 at East 2010, Term II, and 100 at West 2011, Term II, changed to 150 West 2012 Term II and TAMU Term II 2012)
  • Censorship commonly occurs in the form of removing or overwriting offensive words or terms. when overwriting, other words are used, such as CHESTERKILGO.
  • It should be noted that despite censorship, most Fourth Year wills contain cleverly hidden references to inTIPpropriate things.
  • Are generally not left out of the termbook with the exception of Leanne Castro's (UGA '09, Term 2), John Garbuzinski's (West '10, Term 2), Morgan Snow's (East '10, Term 2), and Russell Gray IV's (East '11, Term 1)

Fourth Year Skits

Fourth year skits differ from campus to campus. Foruth Year Skits take at the end of the talent show, before Fourth Year speeches.

  • The Crest Challenge was at one point done every year at the talent show, but made its final appearance with the last true 4-4-4's. They still do it at West and A&M.

-Tamu Term II 2010 RC Chris introduced the Crest Challenge to Texas TIPsters. These brave 4th year boys attempted and suceeded in the challenge, shocking the entire camp.

  • The Crest Challenge is still a tradition at TAMU Term II, but now includes ALL fourth year tipsters, and one brave soul at the end of the challenge. In 2011 it was Kat Magee, who had a mouthful of the tasty Crest liquid but then spit it back out. In 2012 the Llama Mama Bee Haffey swallowed the whole glass in two gulps. Major props to a true Llama Mama taking one for the team. In 2013, it was Britt Barrientos who drank the whole cup in honor of all TiPsters.

At West

  • Is It Time Yet?
  • Doctor's Office
  • Ten People in a Line
  • Doctor Doctor

At East

  • Doctor Doctor
  • Home
  • Swerve (term 1)
  • Rivers and Roads

Fourth Year Speeches

At the very end of the Talent Show, Fourth Years have 30 seconds to a minute (per 4th year) to give a speech about what TIP means to them. This is usually a very emotional time, and crying onstage is not uncommon.

The time limit was lowered to no more than 30 seconds at West '12 Term II.

At East '12 Term II (and Term I), they put all the Fourth Years onstage at the same time, where they held hands and proceeded to yell (while sobbing) everything they could think of about TIP at the Second and Third Years all at once, which is almost more emotional than going one at a time. Up for debate.