LaTex worth the effort?

[MisterMe]

In Word, you can set up your formatting and make a template to use so you don't have to do it for each essay.........it's quite easy

I don't mean to suggest you shouldn't give LaTex a try, it's just that if you haven't taken the time to learn how to format your Word documents to your satisfaction, then why do you think you'll take the time to learn how to do it with LaTex???

Allow me to echo balamw's comments. Word templates, LaTeX templates--apples and oranges. Word's formatting is integral to the document. LaTeX's formatting is somewhat external to it, usually in separate files which are referenced by the document. Word's formatting can easily be overridden by the document editor--either on purpose or by accident. LaTeX is a completely different animal. The document editor cannot override a document's formatting. To change formatting, the styles must be edited. Professional journals which require LaTeX submissions do so because it allows the typesetter to flow text as needed while ensuring proper formatting. It also allows changes to styles while ensuring that all document elements reflow properly. This is not possible with Word.