Why Smart College Students Struggle with "Optional" Work: The Executive Function Skills No One Teaches
"It's just optional homework, so I didn't do it."
As tutors at Liddane, we hear this from frustrated college students almost daily. Bright, capable kids who aced high school are suddenly struggling—not because they can't handle the material, but because no one ever taught them that "optional" in college means something completely different.
The Translation Crisis
High School "Optional":
Extra credit opportunities
Bonus work for overachievers
Safe to skip if you're doing well
Collage "Optional":
Essential background knowledge professors assume you have
The foundation for understanding complex concepts
Material that shows up on exams without warning
Jake learned this the hard way. A psychology freshman who skipped "optional" readings, he felt confident after lectures and bombed his first exam with a C+. "The questions were about studies we never discussed in class," he told us during his first Liddane session.
What Jake didn't realize? Those readings contained the examples and research that formed the basis for exam questions.
The Real Problem: Executive Function Gap
This isn't about intelligence—it's about executive decision-making skills that high school never required students to develop.
Strategic Decision-Making: College students must constantly evaluate which assignments will impact their understanding and grades.
Long-Term Consequence Assessment: Unlike high school's immediate feedback, college consequences can take weeks to appear.
Academic Context Reading: Students need to decode what professors really mean when they say work is "optional."
Why Even Excellent Students Struggle
The students we see most at Liddane are often former high school stars who:
Succeeded by following instructions perfectly, not making strategic choices
Never had to prioritize competing academic demands
Feel overwhelmed by the constant decision-making college requires
What Students Actually Need to Learn
Instead of asking "Is this required?", successful college students ask:
How does this connect to course objectives?
What knowledge is the professor assuming I have?
How does this build toward larger assessments?
At Liddane, we teach students these evaluation skills through our online tutoring platform. Our tutors help college students nationwide develop the strategic thinking that makes the difference between struggling and thriving.
The Long-Term Impact
Students who develop these executive function skills don't just get better grades. They become confident, strategic thinkers prepared for the ambiguous challenges they'll face throughout their careers.
The goal isn't to eliminate struggle—it's to help students develop the thinking skills they need to navigate challenge successfully.
Moving Forward
If your college student is struggling with independent decision-making, know that these skills are completely learnable. It's never too late in the semester to start building them.
The students who thrive aren't necessarily the smartest ones. They're the ones who learn to think strategically about their learning and aren't afraid to seek support when they need it.
After all, recognizing when you need help developing new skills? That's exactly the kind of strategic thinking college is designed to teach.
