College Essay - ShouldYou Use Paragraphs?

College Essay - ShouldYou Use Paragraphs?How long should paragraphs be in a college essay? Of course, a question that often occurs to an academic writing student. Many students are confused about the issue of length and also are unsure as to what the point of a paragraph is and why they are necessary.A paragraph is a grouping of three or four sentences, with the first two being an introduction, followed by a group of four to six sentences that describe a particular topic, whether it is on a science project, thesis statement, poetry, a short story, essay, etc. The last two sentences will briefly summarize the topics covered by the first two sentences. For the most part, there is no language in a paragraph that is intended to impart information. While some students may find this frustrating, others will be thrilled to be able to complete their papers without the need for paragraph breaks.Another issue for those who are new to the idea of paragraph length and the proper length of a para graph in a college essay is how to organize their thoughts in a way that best expresses their point. Unfortunately, too many students struggle with this and simply begin to ramble because they are not aware of how much less can be conveyed through a spoken and written word. While this may be the case for some students, it is far from the norm and will prove disastrous if you are not able to write effectively in the language that is appropriate for college and essay writing.The key to organization is breaking your thoughts down into groups and then creating a word-by-phrase analysis of each group. This takes time and is not something that you will be able to do in your first few essays, but with practice, you will see a marked improvement in your writing skills. When writing the first drafts of your paragraphs, it is a good idea to think about the meaning of each word that you are using and work to understand what the writer is trying to convey in the sentence. A great example of thi s is when a student is asked to analyze the following three sentences:In today's world, fewer people can survive without some type of public assistance. People with an active social life and stability in their lives can sustain themselves with work and income. That is true whether you have a steady job or if you are self-employed. Because so many people are now in one of these categories, and because they find themselves more at risk for receiving some type of welfare, the ways that they can receive some sort of assistance has significantly increased.The next paragraph would be used to explain the different categories of help that are available to different people in this day and age. The third paragraph would use the first two paragraphs to describe the issues and problems associated with welfare in the United States. The fourth paragraph is used to describe how each person reacts to the welfare problem and the changes that occur in the society. The last paragraph is used to discus s some of the societal factors that could cause the problem to persist.By combining these paragraphs, the essayist has a way to break down the information that he or she wants to communicate in a way that is easy to read and understand. Of course, using too many words in a paragraph may cause students to lose their train of thought, but using a variety of words can also cause many problems with your writing style and therefore undermine your essay. Many people find the best approach is to use four or five main ideas and then a few shorter ideas that can be related to them.Overall, a college essay requires a certain amount of skill and the correct lengths of paragraphs are an essential component of that skill. By knowing your audience and by being well organized, you will be able to establish the proper paragraph lengths to help keep your reader interested and well-informed about the subject matter you are writing about.