Ask Sophie: Study tips

purposes than actual plot development. But this film was more fulfilling than usual action movies because of the badass women that stole the spotlight from Bond himself.

“Knives Out” actress Ana de Armas brought the iconic sultry look that Bond girls are known for but kept up with Craig’s witty quips and entertaining fight scenes, all while donning a ballgown. Lashana Lynch is introduced as a new 00 agent, and she brings a level of vulnerability and quiet strength that complements Craig’s bold mannerisms.

In the long history of James Bond, previous films do a terrible job of including people of color despite their room for a large ensemble. Lynch thankfully expands this franchise as the first Black woman to play a 00 agent, and she has hopefully opened the door for more POC actors. As the current position of 007 is now open, I’d love to see Lynch as the lead in the next Bond films. While previous Bond girls are mainly reliant on our heroes, this film shows that femininity isn’t something that needs to be expunged in order to have well-written female leads.

Of course, since this is a Bond film, the leading ladies didn’t get as much screen time as they deserved. However, their extreme action scenes and purpose of saving the world were not overshadowed by twodimensional romantic tropes, making every minute of their screen time count. I suspect that De Armas’ and Lynch’s presences were so strong because the screenwriting team benefited from “Fleabag”

→ SEE BOND, PAGE 8

Now that midterms have mostly come to an end, you may be feeling confident, ambivalent or even dreadful about your grades. Regardless of how you think you did, it can’t hurt to reflect upon your current study habits and refine them or adopt new ones altogether to improve your performance for your next exam.

Every student is different, but no matter how you go about it, studying always begins in the classroom. If you go to class like you probably should, you might as well spend your time wisely by paying attention and taking concise notes. That way, when you study later, you’ll be reviewing information rather than just learning it for the first time.

Though it may sound obvious, it helps to actually study the information you don’t know rather than review what you already understand. People like to practice the skills they’re good at, and while it’s nice to reassure yourself of your abilities, neglecting or ignoring the material you’re having trouble with is not going to help you during test time. An effective way to determine what you do and don’t know, said Student Counseling Center psychologist Beverly Williams, is to assess how well you can explain the course content to a friend.

“If you have a study buddy, and that person may be in a totally different class, and you say to them, ‘You know what? Let's take turns. I want you to teach me what you're learning or studying for this class.’ And their only job is to teach you. You don't have to learn; they just have to teach you. It's not your class, but it helps them learn. And then you flip the script. Because being the teacher makes you notice what you don't know. You're actually trying to explain [the material] because what the other person will have is questions, right?”

Since studying with friends does not always work well for everyone, you may want to consult some other resources –such as individualized Peer Tutoring from the Student Success Center or your professor’s or TA’s exam reviews – to gain insight into what you may still need to study.

“If you can beforehand, you can always ask your professor or TA if they do test or exam previews. Definitely go to those. Because even if a professor doesn't say it in class, a lot of times they'll say, or a TA or teaching assistant will say, ‘Yeah, you want to know that really well,’ or ‘Yeah, I don't know that that's where you want to spend your time,’” Williams said. “They won’t say, ‘That's not on the test,’ but they can give you some direction. And usually they're very humane people.”

Perhaps the most useful study tip of all, however, is to avoid cramming. Despite hearing it a million times and having the message beat into their brains, many students still cram, meaning that clearly not everyone heeds this advice. While yes, the idea of learning an entire semester’s worth of material in one night may sound alluring, cramming is just not an effective study technique.

“Clearly, in a perfect world, we'd be