Writing papers in college

I totally understand teachers in Junior High and High School requiring a specific length for writing assignments. We were bratty teenagers who just wanted to be lazy and we didn't think we could even write 2 pages. We needed the length requirement to teach us how to write. Once we reach University level we should already be capable of expressing ourselves without someone forcing us to come up with content to fill space.

If you ever, in your career-life, are given a writing assignment, I highly doubt your superior will tell you that you must fill three pages and each paragraph must be at least a half page in length. No, that's ridiculous. He will ask you to address all aspects of the topic maybe even as concisely as possible. (Which we all know I'm awful at). Sure, some of your paragraphs may be a half of a page or longer, but what of that one that's just a quarter page? Requiring that it be a half page almost ensures you will get a quarter page of redundant crap.

So why on earth do University professors give length requirements? If I can argue my point effectively in a page and a half (not likely for me, but just for the sake of making my point) then let me do it. If it takes five pages, then so be it. Universities shouldn't make requirements for quantity, then expect the result to be of the highest quality. When students are worried about lengthening a paper or trimming one down their writing becomes redundant, or in the other case, lacks necessary details.

And, we'll end my ramble/rant with a quote:

“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
-William Strunk Jr.