Writing essays is arguably one of the most dreaded tasks that students face during their academic career. The mere mention of having to write an essay elicits groans of frustration from even the most diligent of students. While essays are designed to test a student’s understanding of topics and ability to articulate their thoughts in a coherent manner, in practice essay writing often devolves into a tedious, time-consuming process that provides little enjoyment. There are several reasons why essay writing sucks from a student’s perspective which I will explore in depth below.
One of the key reasons why students dislike essay writing is due to the extensive time commitment required. Unlike other assessment methods like multiple choice tests which can be completed in an hour or two, essays demand a significant time investment from beginning to end. This starts with choosing a suitable topic and researching different sources to gain a thorough understanding of the subject matter. Students then need to pore over reference materials like textbooks, journals, and online databases to gather relevant facts, examples, and quotations to include. Simply researching and taking notes can take many hours.
Once the research stage is complete, the actual writing process begins. This involves developing an outline or plan for essay structure, formulating coherent introductory, body, and conclusion paragraphs, and stringing together a comprehensive argument. Composing clear, well-written paragraphs is a tedious process that requires multiple drafts for refinement. Students also need to employ proper formatting with correct citations, references, and bibliography. Editing for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and flow further prolongs the writing experience. Altogether, a standard research essay of 1500-2000 words can realistically take between 10-20 hours spread over several days to produce a quality final product.
The length expectations for essays are often unrealistic within the limited timeframes students have. Instructors routinely assign essays of 5000+ words for topics that realistically deserve much more in-depth treatment. While word counts are meant to test comprehensive analysis, lengthy essays within short turnarounds lead to rushed, subpar work. Students lack the luxury of taking several weeks that professional writers have for developing elaborate thesis driven arguments at such lengths. Unrealistic expectations mean essays fail to meet their intended purpose of truly assessing understanding as students can only scrape the surface of complex topics within constrained conditions.
Constant deadlines and time pressure makes essay writing an inherently stressful experience. The looming due dates leave little flexibility for life’s unpredictabilities. Students have to meticulously track their progress against strict submission times while balancing other coursework, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, and personal lives. The tension of unfinished assignments and impending deadlines hanging over their heads produces chronic stress, anxiety, lack of motivation, and distractions. Those with procrastination issues or less developed time management skills experience even greater apprehension as submission nears. The stressful nature of essay writing negatively impacts students’ mental wellbeing and ability to perform.
Lack of interest or engagement in assigned essay topics is another contributor to student dissatisfaction. Instructors often select broad subjects without consideration for individual student preferences, prior knowledge, or learning styles. Being forced to write on topics of little inherent interest generates apathy and disengagement from the start. It takes real motivation to commit many hours researching and formulating arguments about topics one does not truly care about. Students struggle to find the inspiration to craft compelling discussions for detached subjects leaving essays dry, generic, and lacking in analytical depth. While exposure to new ideas has benefits, incompatible topics crush students’ enthusiasm for writing.
Feedback on essays is often lacking in quality or provided too late to incorporate. Instructors grading high volumes of assignments within limited time have little scope for detailed, individualized commentary. Comments tend toward brief, superficial remarks with minimal engagement or guidance for improvement. Vague feedback like “good job” or “needs development” provides little real direction for strengthening future papers. Some instructors are even too late returning graded essays, missing the window for students to apply lessons learned to current projects. Lack of meaningful, timely feedback dampens the learning experience and view of essays as opportunities for growth.
Strict formatting guidelines enforced in a nitpicking manner can overshadow essay content. Excessive penalties for infractions like missing headers, improper citation styles, irregular spacing or fonts discourage risk-taking and creative expression. Obsessing with technicalities shifts focus from analytical substance. Hyper-regulation burns out student passion for writing as a form of intellectual exploration. Rigid, unforgiving marking schemes undermine essays as opportunities to nurture original thought and develop nuanced arguments free of needless restrictions.
Perhaps the biggest reason students despise essay writing is due to inevitable anxiety over grading subjectivity. No matter how objectively an instructor attempts to mark essays, personal biases and varying interpretation of grading rubrics means outcomes are unpredictable. Two equally deserving papers could receive markedly different results depending on the grader’s mood on any given day. Concerns that personal writing styles, turn of phrases or unintentional errors may misalign with a specific marker’s preferences stir constant unease. Subjective assessment fuels perceptions of unfair treatment, lack of transparency, and reduced motivation to craft compelling pieces unsure if evaluators will “get it.” Essay writing becomes a nerve-wracking gamble rather than a demonstration of skills and understanding.
Essay writing as a mandatory scholastic exercise suffers from numerous flaws that understandably sour the experience for students. Unreasonable time demands, unrealistic lengths, chronic deadlines, incompatible topics, inadequate feedback practices, over-regulation of format, and inevitable subjectivity in marking undermine essays’ intended educational purpose. While certain essay skills absolutely must be developed, alternatives assessment methods exist that are less discouraging and engage students through more positive experiences. With some restructuring of essay assignments to alleviate unnecessary stressors, writing could become a more meaningful part of the learning journey. Until then, students will continue to view mandatory essay writing as a tedious chore rather than an enlightening creative outlet.
Andrew Stroud