Beehive Blog–October 15, 2025

A white honeycomb with two gold cells and four blue cells. "Beehive Blog"

The Beehive Blog offers timely updates, insights, and resources to help Rochester Community and Technical College students stay informed and engaged throughout their academic journey.

What’s in This Week’s Beehive Blog

NOTE: There are NO CLASSES ON THURSDAY, October 16th, and FRIDAY, October 17th, due to the Education Minnesota Conference (also known as MEA).

Spring 2026 Scholarship Application is Now Open

The Rochester Community and Technical College Foundation has opened the application for Spring 2026 Scholarships. There are over 50 Scholarships available in the academic programs. There are also scholarships available that aren’t based on a specified program, yet are based on student need, community service, extracurricular activities, or county of residence.

The deadline to apply is Monday, November 10th, 2025. The scholarship application can be found on the RCTC Foundation website.

Academic Success Center Open Over MEA

The Academic Success Center will be open over MEA, October 16th and 17th, during their normal business hours, 8:00am -4:30pm. Check out the website to see more details about services available.

RCTC has contracted with tutor.com to provide 24/7 online access to a tutor. You may find this useful when you have a question outside of the Academic Success Center tutoring hours (evenings, holidays, or weekends). You must access the tool through D2L. On the D2L home page, scroll down to Learning Resources, and click on Tutor.Com. Please watch this video for a brief overview of this service:  Tutor.Com Instructions

Use the Graduation Planner and Schedule Builder Tools

The Graduation Planner is a dynamic academic planning tool that uses the most up-to-date information available to assist you with building a semester to semester path to graduation. This tool includes transfer and in-progress courses from the student record system.  Here are some key points about the Graduation Planner:

  • Accessed through your Student eServices.
  • Allows students and advisors to create a guided path to graduation.
  • Uses drag and drop functionality to create and edit plans.
  • Planned courses are verified against the degree audit to ensure they meet program requirements.
  • Students and advisors have access to the same information in the same application.
  • Courses from a Preferred Plan can be pushed directly into Schedule Builder.

The Schedule Builder is a dynamic scheduling platform where you can choose your primary schedule from multiple possible schedules. You can build your optimized schedule manually or automatically based on preferences.

Study Tips

Everyone can concentrate—just think of the times you’ve been fully absorbed in a game, sport, or movie. That’s total concentration! But sometimes, it’s tough to focus:

  • Your mind wanders.
  • You get distracted by worries or outside noise.
  • The material feels boring or difficult.

Don’t worry—here are some tips to help you stay on track and improve your focus:

  1. Take Responsibility for Your Success
    • Make decisions about your priorities, time, and resources. This is your education, so take charge!
    • Stick to your values and goals. Don’t let others decide what’s important for you.
    • Put first things first. Stay focused on your priorities, and don’t let distractions pull you off course.
  1. Know Your Best Study Times and Places
    • Are you more focused in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Use your best time for your most challenging subjects.
    • Find a study spot where you can be productive, like a quiet corner in the library or a café where you can focus.
  1. Communicate Effectively
    • If you’re having issues with a grade or deadline, think from the instructor’s perspective. How can you approach the problem in a way they’ll understand?
  1. Look for Better Solutions
    • Struggling with material? Don’t just re-read. Try flashcards, talk to your professor or tutor, or form a study group.
    • Explore different learning strategies—active learning is key! Ask your teacher for new ideas if needed.
  1. Stay Focused While You Study
    • Before you start, set clear goals and gather what you need.
    • Take notes as you read—annotate in the margins, review charts, diagrams, and answer end-of-chapter questions.
    • Use color-coding and visual aids (charts, diagrams, etc.) to help you remember key points.
  1. Switch Things Up
    • Change topics every 1-2 hours to avoid burnout.
    • Alternate between reading and more active study activities, like creating study questions or discussing with a group.
  1. Take Smart Breaks
    • Schedule regular breaks to recharge. Do something different, like taking a quick walk if you’ve been sitting for a while.
  1. Aim for a Win-Win Mindset
    • When you do your best in class, everyone benefits—you, your classmates, and your instructor. A good grade is just a bonus!