At the Mounger Writing Center, your project is your work – and we respect that. Stokes Fellows and consultants aren’t instructors or graders. We’re not here to edit your paper or simply proofread it. Instead, we serve as informed, critical readers whose mission is to help you grow as a writer and leader.

Think of us as your sounding board. We’ll help you gauge how effectively you’re shaping your argument and guide you toward principles of strong writing – always applied to your specific project.

Our focus:

• Higher-order concerns like substance, clarity, and organization
• Later-order concerns, such as patterns of error, awkward phrasing, or mechanics

Bottom line: We ask questions, offer feedback, and share strategies that empower you to improve your own work. Every session is about advancing your learning and sharpening your ability to communicate with precision and impact.

No matter your academic battlefield, the Mounger Writing Center is here for you. Our consultants can assist with any writing task – from essays, responses, and research papers to technical reports, lab write-ups, abstracts, manuals, and even posters.

What do we offer? Productive conversations about your ideas and how to express them with clarity, force, and impact. You won’t leave with a “perfect paper” - that’s not the mission – but you will walk away with actionable strategies to make your work stronger.

And it doesn’t stop at coursework. We welcome writing for personal and professional goals, including statements for graduate school, scholarship applications, and more.

Bottom line: If it involves words, we’ve got your back.

The Mounger Writing Center is powered by Stokes Fellows - cadets selected for their exceptional promise as writers, teachers, and communicators. These aren’t just tutors; they’re leaders in the making, trained to help you sharpen your edge.

Every Fellow undergoes rigorous academic training in composition pedagogy, mastering the art and science of effective communication. When you work with a Stokes Fellow, you’re learning from someone who knows what excellence looks like - and is committed to helping you achieve it.

Bottom line: You’re not just getting writing support. You’re joining forces with some of the best communicators in the Corps, dedicated to helping you lead with clarity and impact.

To keep things fair and productive for everyone, here’s what you need to know:

• One appointment per day
• Two appointments max per assignment
• No same-day sessions for due assignments - plan ahead!

Remember: if you use insights from your consultation, you must acknowledge the session in accordance with DAAW in your final work. Sample entries are available at our Welcome Desk.

Bottom line: Schedule early, work smart, and give yourself time to apply what you learn.

To give you the best feedback, we can typically review 5-7 double-spaced pages during a single session.

If your project is longer, upload the most essential sections - the parts where you need the most help - when you complete your appointment form. This ensures we can focus on what matters most and provide actionable feedback.

Your time is valuable. Make every minute count by coming prepared:

• Lock in the details. Fill out your appointment form with precision - assignment info, your concerns, and even specific questions.
• Mark the target. Upload your draft and highlight the areas you want to improve. Worried about your thesis? Flag it. Unsure about the flow or argument? Tag those paragraphs. The clearer your concern, the sharper our support.

Pro tip: Bookend your writing mission. Schedule two sessions per assignment - one early to set your strategy, and one near the finish line to refine and polish. That gap gives you time to implement feedback and even check in with your instructor or attend an artificial intelligence session if needed.

No, and here’s why. Our mission is to help you become a stronger, more independent writer. If we simply “fix” your paper, you miss the chance to grow as a skilled reader and reviser of your own work.

At the Mounger Writing Center, we don’t edit or proofread for you. Instead, your consultant will:

• Identify patterns of error or awkwardness that obscure your meaning
• Explain why those issues matter
• Guide you toward resources and strategies to improve

Your toolkit:

• Peer-to-peer proofreading with fellow cadets
• Built-in tools in MS Word
• Free online resources like Purdue OWL.
• Helpful extensions such as Grammarly

We won’t do the work for you - but we’ll make sure you know how to do it better every time.

Reminder: You must document revisions (formerly “extended proofreading”) according to the DAAW (see Section II C, p. 9).

Whether you’re drafting a report, polishing a poster, or preparing for a presentation, we’ll work with you to make your communication clear, professional, and impactful.

At West Point, you’ll work with a wide range of technical communication - from reports and essays to orders, white papers, memoranda, and even professional emails. Many conferences invite participants to showcase their work through posters, and some departments require cadets to design posters for their capstone projects.

Presentations are another key skill. They demand preparation and confidence - presenters must know their material so well that they can speak about it naturally, without relying on a script.

Bottom line: If you’re ready to sharpen these skills and make your work stand out, we’re here to help!

In recognition of his generous support and unqualified commitment to the development of more effective cadet writers, the West Point Writing Center (established 2012) was renamed the William D. Mounger '48 Writing Center in October 2016. 

Mr. Mounger admitted to struggling as a writer while at West Point, but in an exemplary account of intellectual curiosity and motivation, he used those struggles to fuel lifelong learning after graduation. This drive demonstrates these characteristics for future generations in the Long Gray Line.

For more information about Mr. Mounger, his relationship to writing, and his enduring dedication to cadet writers, view the West Point's Association of Graduates article.