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Sidders

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Everything posted by Sidders

  1. Creamy muck muck. (Also from the show, you dirty people!)
  2. Sidders

    Anti-Rant

    You say trombone player. I say tromboner. WAHEY!
  3. So as y'all might or might not know, I've been living in Dusseldorf for the past 4 months, and as well as visiting lots of theme parks (Phantasialand, Liseberg, planning to go to Heide Park before I leave) and enjoying the glorious weather of summertime in North Germany, I've also been dabbling in a bit of studying. And today I had my last exam. Basically, In Germany, you can only access the next year when you have a certain number of credits to do so. IN Germany, you need 60 credits to progress upwards. However, you yourself pick and choose which modules you do, and how many you do. You can do a semester studying only two modules and then achieving 2-4 credits for each depending on the subject's difficulty, and simply put, you just have to keep doing this and eventually you will reach 60 credits and be allowed to progress to the next year. So in effect, your first year at uni could last up to 10 academic years. Most people take assessments in a module called BN or AP, BN's are usually worth 2 extra credits and AP's are worth anywhere between 4-7 because they are harder, 8-20 page-long term papers that typically are only done one-per-semester. Now, in the British system, a German "credit" is worth two British credits, because we operate a different system to the rest of Europe. So in English Universities, you need 15 credits per module and you have 4 modules per semester and two semester in a year, meaning that at the end of the year, you need 120 credits to progress to the next year. Progression is a mandatory requirement though and you will automatically receive 15 credits for completing a module and not failing. If you fail, or miss an assessment, you automatically score 0 in that module and need to redeem that module/assessment or retake the year if your credit score is below 100 (at least, that's the case at my University). So basically, each module in Germany needs to be worth 7.5 if I am only planning on taking 4 (I am taking 5). So, when you do what I do, and go on the Erasmus Exchange Programme for one semester, you need to fill out a Learning Agreement that verifies that you are taking enough modules to earn yourself 30 German credits (or ECTS credits) will equate to 60 English credits (or UKTS credits). So you need to go to your lecturer of the modules you are doing and ask for them to give you extra credits because you are an Erasmus student and will not be allowed to return to your home institution without an equivalent of 60 UKTS credits. I currently take five modules in Germany, one of which is a module from Winchester. So here's how my credit sheet breaks down: English Morphology meets Phonology: 6 credits Language and the Brain: 7 credits Old English: 7 credits Volunteering (Winchester Module): 7.5 credits Deutschkurs als Fremdsprache: 4 credits (+2 for Erasmus Students) Which means I have 33.5 credits and plenty to progress to the third year at Winchester. After this, I just need to ensure the grades I achieve aren't fails, or the credits won't count. I only get formally marked on the first four however. The last one - Deutschkurs als Fremdsprache, is purely to make up the 30 credits. Without it I would only have 29.5. So today I received my grade for Language and the Brain. I had my exams for the first two in that list on Monday and Tuesday respectively. Now let me talk a bit about the German grade system and conversion: German Grades and estimated conversion rates: 1.0 = 80 1.3 = 74 1.7 = 69 2.0 = 65 2.3 = 62 2.7 = 59 3.0 = 57 3.3 = 53 3.7 = 45 4.0 = 39 5.0 = <34 Yeah, messed up. But I just found out my grades for the first three modules! (Finally getting to the point). And after stressing unbelievable amounts, I was awarded 1.3 for both Old English and English Morphology meets Phonology, and a 1.0 for Language and the Brain! Really rather happy about coming to Germany now.
  4. Benin makes in interesting point really. What's Thorpe to the European market when in Germany, 2 hours in any direction can land you at Hansa Park, Holiday Park, Phantasialand, Heide Park and if you're up for a bit more of a trek, Europa. Do people really come to the UK for Thorpe like we go to to Europe for these parks?
  5. Who cares when it looks like that?
  6. I fail to see why a family coaster couldn't work at Thorpe. Family ride doesn't always mean slow, boring, short, and low budget. If they go for something like Colorado Adventure at Phantasialand, they'll be on to a massive winner. They just need to learn how to theme on the scale of a German park.
  7. EPO. You may have need to have seen the film...
  8. Die Großte Kirmes am Rhein. (The Largest Fair on the Rhine)
  9. Also, when you're on a ride page, and you try a click "AREAS" on the footstep links (the "GUIDE", "AREAS", "CALYPSO QUAY" tabs, for example), it just redirects you to the ride page, rather than going where you want it to.
  10. Maus au Chocolat is the only good dark ride I've been on. Phantasialand clearly threw a pretty penny Euro at it though, and all Merlin's one's have practically identical themes with the exception of Hex and possibly Charlie.
  11. Just crazy to think Europa Park is almost as big as Rust... Can't wait for this. Europa never do things by halves.
  12. Also, let's be realistic: Doctor Who is clearly more suitable for Towers. It just wouldn't work at Thorpe at all. They know nothing of paying credit to any form of history, not least their own. It's a park constantly adapting and installing rides and investments that reflect the newest in theme park and entertainment fads (Horror films, Wing Coasters, Wave machines, Angry Birds etceteraaa). Not to say that Alton Towers is a park stuck in the past, but it's location and role as an intrinsic British icon would make it much more fitting for a Doctor Who-themed ride that spans the entire canon. A dark ride at Thorpe would almost unquestionably be directed at New Who, whereas the older Doctors seem more congruent with the history of Towers. This is the first I've heard of these 2016 dark ride rumours. I was under the illusion Thorpe were still targeting a Mack/Woodie/Flyer and to be perfectly honest any of those three (and in the order) would be much more welcome in my opinion than another Merlin dark ride.
  13. Sidders

    This Or That

    Sausages. Full English with tomatoes or without?
  14. Sidders

    This Or That

    Psssht Nando's. Obviously. Nando's North Greenwich or Nando's Convent Garden?
  15. Sidders

    This Or That

    Where the Magic Never Ends Chessington or a road-side picnic area?
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