All throughout grade-school, students' overall level of writing became more sophisticated over time. However at some point along the way, students were led to believe that their essays had a length minimum and requirement of only five paragraphs. This common belief amongst most pre-collegiate students can be contributed to multiple factors. The most relevant being that the five paragraph style is commonly taught throughout high school, many teachers preach the use of five-paragraph essays to their students, to the point where now many students who enter college belief that essays only can be need to be five-paragraphs. Essays require some sort of format in effort to stay organized, but just because most students are taught to use the five-paragraph style, does not mean it’s the only way to write an essay properly. 

 Anastasia Gustafson of the National Council of teachers of English (NTEC) shares a similar perspective. “However, what becomes a problem is that the idea has somehow become ingrained in our students that the five-paragraph essay is the only way to write—not only in high school and college but also in professional writing careers.” College, is a whole different ball game. Academic curriculum and grading possess higher standards, as well as an expectation that students work will be greater in volume. 

(To view Gustafson's full article clink the following link)

1. https://ncte.org/blog/2021/11/unmasking-mythical-narrative-surrounding-five-paragraph-essay/