Entering college, Abe Lange was certain about at least two things. One, he wanted to pursue a career in business. In particular, he aspires to own his own entrepreneurial enterprise, perhaps one that brings together his dual interests in sports and fashion.

And, two, Abe loved being in a college — Sarah Lawrence — with no option for a business major or even with any business classes.

So for Abe, relying on resources outside his school to prepare him for the business world was always a given. That ultimately led him to Accelerator.

“I wanted to make the most out of my summer (before my senior year),” says Abe — and so did my parents. I also wanted to learn more about consulting. I had no consulting experience but heard it might be a good fit for me.

“My dad found an ad for Accelerator in the local paper and showed it to me. I was hesitant at first, but the more I looked into it, the more I realized that this was the only program where you worked alongside companies on projects and not simply for them.”

With so little business experience, and coming from what he calls “a very progressive, artsy school,” Abe was worried about how well prepared he was for the program — and that he might not fit in. “Within a day or two,” he says, “I realized how my worries were unfounded.” In fact, he adds, “My differences in terms of interests and backgrounds were seen as valuable and not off-putting to my team members. Much to my surprise, I made lots of friends. Beyond that, working alongside big companies, including Google, added a lot to my arsenal of business understanding and to my resumé.”

Fun Fact: Abe captains his school’s varsity soccer team.

“The more I looked into it, the more I realized that this was the only program where you worked alongside companies on projects and not simply for them.”