[Donut]

Grade school strictly enforced the 5 paragraph essay, often marking you off for doing it in any other format (if not automatically failing you). In high school I found that it was highly encouraged my freshman through junior year, and was sometimes required. My senior English teacher has told us the 5 paragraph essay can be used on occasion for some things, but that we need to learn to expand beyond these because, as Sanddrag said, they are usually "garbage".