Academic mentoring for university students, for when it’s more than one topic

Mentoring or tutoring: what’s the difference?

Tutoring fixes a topic. You’re stuck on loops or a calculus method, we work through it, and you move on. Mentoring looks at everything around the topics: how you plan your week, how you take notes, what you do when a lecture loses you, and whether you ask for help early or far too late.

Many students need a bit of both. As your mentor, I keep the bigger picture in view while our sessions still deal with real work from your modules. Being a student myself, I know the work rarely arrives one subject at a time, and neither does the pressure. Mentoring is built for that reality.

What we work on together

Every mentoring relationship is built around you: your gaps, your goals and your pace. In our first conversation I’ll ask where you’re at, what’s going wrong and what you want this semester to look like. From there we agree on how often we meet and what we focus on first.

Mentoring isn’t about doing more hours. It’s about making the hours you already spend count. We keep checking progress against the plan and adjust it when a test or deadline moves. For deeper work on specific techniques, see study skills coaching.

• Goals: what you’re aiming for in each module, whether that’s passing or chasing distinctions
• A realistic plan: a weekly study plan built around your lectures, deadlines and life
• Time management: fitting study around lectures, work, sport and everything else
• Note-taking: turning lectures and slides into notes you can actually revise from
• Understanding assignments: reading a brief properly and planning your approach before you start
• Habits and confidence: consistent routines, and asking questions before you’re lost

Why I take this seriously

I started studying with no coding experience at all. I know what it feels like to sit in a lecture and feel completely lost, the pressure of deadlines and the anxiety before exams. I didn’t get through that by being a natural. I got through it one concept at a time.

I went on to graduate top of a class of 200+ in the IIE Higher Certificate in Mobile Application and Web Development, and in 2025 I received the Full Stack Impact Award. In an IOL Education feature, I put it like this: “It’s about being consistent, asking questions, using the support around you.” Mentoring is me being that support for you.

Today I balance a second-year degree with being President of Emeris Voice, tutoring, playing hockey, joining outreach initiatives and contributing towards my own fees. I’m not telling you that to impress you. I’m telling you because the time management I’ll help you with is the same kind I rely on every week.

Failing a module, or close to it?

If you’re failing first year, or a module is slipping away, you’re not the first, and it’s never too late to get help. I’ve helped students who felt completely lost turn things around before finals. The earlier you reach out, the more we can do together, but even a single focused session can make a meaningful difference.

We start with an honest look at what happened: missed foundations, poor timing, too many deadlines at once, or confidence that took a knock. Then we build a plan for what’s left of the semester, putting the heaviest-weighted work first so your effort goes where it counts.

If you’re worried about academic exclusion, take it seriously and get the facts. Exclusion rules are set by each institution, so whatever university or college you’re at, read your own institution’s official rules and speak to its student support staff. I can help with the studying. They decide the rules.

Struggling with coding? That’s normal

Struggling with coding usually isn’t about intelligence. Often the course moved from syntax to problem-solving before the basics felt solid, or you’ve been reading code without writing enough of it yourself. Copying a working solution feels like progress, but it skips the part your brain actually needs to practise.

As a coding mentor, I help you build the habit that matters: breaking a problem into small steps, writing them out in plain language, then turning them into code and testing as you go. If you’re in first-year programming, my guide on how to pass first-year programming covers this in more detail.

What a first-year student said

“I was genuinely lost in my first semester, falling behind and too embarrassed to ask for help in class. Jorryn made everything feel manageable. The sessions were calm, structured, and I finally understood what I was supposed to be learning. My grade improved significantly in two weeks.” Nomvelo Dlamini, First-Year Computer Science

If you feel the same way right now, start with a conversation. Sessions are usually 60 to 90 minutes, online by video call with screen sharing or in person in the Durban area. Rates depend on how often we meet and for how long, so you’ll get a personalised quote before anything starts.