When I see students posting on /r/programming, what they usually seem to have a problem with is problem decomposition. i.e.: What are the steps needed to solve this part of the problem? Or algorithm design, critical thinking, or whatever you want to call it. How do I get from A to B, basically.

Remembering back to my first year, it seems that some people "get this" and some do not. Which is nothing against them -- everyone is different.