Independent Educational Consultant

Your Essay Tells
Your Story.
I Help You Tell It Better.

Expert admissions essay editing for undergraduate and graduate applicants, from a former UC scholarship reviewer with over 12 years of experience and thousands of essays edited.

Heather Wood, Independent Educational Consultant
University campus

"Every student has a story worth telling.
My job is to help them tell it well."

Heather Wood, Candlelight College Consulting
12+ Years Experience
|
Thousands of Essays Edited
|
Former UC Scholarship Reviewer
|
Top Rated on Fiverr
|
Virtual & Serving Clients Globally
12+ Years of Experience
1,000s Essays Edited
4.9 ★ Fiverr Rating
50+ Program Types Served

A Consultant Who Knows
Both Sides of the Process

I've spent more than a decade on both sides of the admissions process: as a reviewer scoring UC scholarship essays, and as a mentor helping students find their authentic voice and present it with clarity and confidence. I know what reviewers look for, and I know how to help you get there.

  • Former UC scholarship essay reviewer & scorer
  • CSU/UC application mentor
  • Completing UC Berkeley's college admissions consulting program
  • B.A. Psychology + B.S. Human Development, UC Davis, Summa Cum Laude
  • Top Rated Seller on Fiverr with hundreds of 5‑star reviews
My Full Background →

Services Designed Around Your Goals

Whether you're applying to college for the first time or pursuing a graduate degree, I provide the editing expertise to help your application stand out, while keeping every word authentically yours.

Essay Proofreading & Editing

Line-by-line editing of personal statements, statements of purpose, and college application essays, with careful attention to grammar, clarity, tone, and authentic voice.

Structural Editing & Feedback

Deep-dive feedback on content, flow, and narrative structure. I help you see what your essay is doing, and what it could be doing.

UC PIQ & Activity List Review

Specialized editing for UC Personal Insight Questions and activity list entries, informed by direct training from UC admissions officers on what makes these responses stand out.

Graduate Admissions Editing

Expert editing for MSc, MA, MiM, MBA, PhD, JD, MD, residency, and fellowship applications, tailored to the higher standard of graduate-level writing.

Comprehensive Counseling

Full-cycle college counseling including school search, college list building, and application strategy. Coming soon.

Sather Gate at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley Campanile

Students I've Worked With Have Been
Admitted To

A selection of schools my students have been accepted to across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.

Ivy League & Elite Private

Harvard Yale Princeton Columbia UPenn Stanford MIT Caltech Duke Northwestern

University of California System

UC Berkeley UCLA UC San Diego UC Davis UC Irvine UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz UC Riverside UC Merced

Top Public & Other Universities

University of Washington UT Austin Purdue Cal Poly SLO Boston University Case Western University of Miami

Plus admissions to top-tier law and medical (MD) programs, as well as PhD programs across the sciences, social sciences, and mathematics.

What Students Are Saying

Consistently glowing feedback from students across the US and around the world, earned as a Top Rated seller on Fiverr.

"Heather exceeded my expectations. She didn't just edit for grammar, she made sure I was clearly answering the prompt and pushed me to add specific details that strengthened my response. Her feedback was thoughtful, professional, and delivered on time. The final result felt much more focused and polished."

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Application Essay Verified Fiverr Review

"Heather was outstanding to work with and she made the process so very easy. Took what we were working on and helped us hone the essay so it captured our voice and read so much better and edited it so we met the word count. I can not recommend her enough."

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Personal Statement Verified Fiverr Review

"To begin with, Heather's turnaround time was super fast. Her edits and suggestions for my essay really challenged me to dig deeper and look at the prompts differently than I had previously interpreted them. Her comments are very thorough as well."

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Application Essay Verified Fiverr Review

"Heather did an excellent job revising my college essay. She provided clear and helpful edits that improved my clarity, flow, and focus, while maintaining my authentic voice. Her guidance helped me effectively highlight my experience and goals. I would definitely recommend her."

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College Essay Verified Fiverr Review

Ready to Strengthen Your Application?

Let's work together to make sure your essays reflect the very best version of you.