Carla's Writing Space

My husband and I were extremely grateful to have Carla work with our son beginning the summer leading into his senior year in high school. Her able guidance in developing and focusing his written voice was truly a powerful gift not only for college applications but also for all future endeavors.
As for college apps the results speak for themselves. He was accepted to engineering programs at: Cal Poly SLO, UCs: Davis, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. Needless to say we were beyond thrilled about all the exceptional choices and the exciting next chapters about to unfold for him.

We can't sing Carla's praises enough and have already recommended her to a number of our friends.

CARLA IS THE BEST. All of my college essays were carefully edited and even small errors were caught. I was so happy with how all of my essays turned out. Carla knows what’s wanted in a college essay. Working with her I really felt comfortable and welcomed. She is so kind and writes very constructive comments on my documents. I’m so proud with how my work turned out. Thank you Carla

Carla has been great to work with this past semester! I’ve set up weekly meetings with her to review my various graduate school application essays, ranging from a general personal statement to college specific portions and shorter questions. She has consistently helped me rephrase my writing so it is concise and genuinely conveys my experiences. Her sessions over video call and in person have always been a constructive environment, and she is also very helpful with smaller-scale editing through google docs. My writing has also improved as I find myself rephrasing my work for other classes now as well. I would recommend her to anyone who needs any form of writing assistance!

Working with Carla finally unlocked what has always been in my head. Throughout the years, she has helped me with the basics up though college admissions essays, and the collaboration ensured everything stayed in my own voice. Carla’s constant encouragement and warm personality made me look forward to our meetings, and her support allowed me to write the way I wanted to. I am so thankful to have found her, for I know no one else could ever do what she does in the same way.

Carla was so helpful throughout my college application essays. She gave me a newfound confidence in myself as a writer, through her honesty and experience. She focused on strengthening every aspect of my essays and writing ability down to every word. I’m so grateful for her support during my college applications, and I truly feel that I became a better, more intentional writer because of her tips.

Ms. Castillo's input has been instrumental to the college application process for me. When I first started to plan out essays for college, I was very unsure of the approach that I should be taking and felt like my wordy writing style would restrict how much impactful content I could include in my essays. With Ms. Castillo's help, I was able to get a firm grasp on what I should be aiming to convey in my essays. Furthermore, she was able to help me cut very long essays down to the content that really mattered, while showing me where I could cut out some of my bad writing habits that resulted in unnecessarily long essays. Ms. Castillo was able to do all of this while keeping a very energetic and understanding attitude, which made me look forward to all of my meetings with her. She is an amazing writer and an amazing person to work with in general, and I truly believe that anybody who needs assistance in the college application process should go to Ms. Castillo.

9 admits, 2 waitlists, no rejections. We believe Carla was instrumental in our daughters application success for the class of '26. The essays were the part of the process all of us dreaded the most. Removing ourselves from the process allowed our daughter, working with Carla 1: 1, to turn seemingly ordinary themes into deeply personal essays that revealed her true character without parental baggage or bias. Will definitely be using her again with our youngest.

After not making much progress with a different writing coach, Carla was the push I needed to get a hold of my college applications. She is energetic and honest, and is a meticulous editor that ensures not a single word is wasted. I tend to be a flowery writer, and she challenged me to make revisions that will stand out. I really connected with Carla and through her guidance, I was able to make a final product that I was proud of.

Carla helped me dramatically improve my writing and made the college essay process more smooth. Her longtime experience in the college essay writing scene and thoughtful feedback assisted me in brainstorming and making edits to my essays. I would highly recommend Carla for anyone looking to improve their writing or workshop their college essays.