ONE2ONE Testimonials
Luna Pedrosa
University of Florida
Without One2One College Consulting’s care and effort in every single aspect of how I should construct my application, I would not be at the school that I attend today. Everyone is super kind and very honest on how I should present myself. The time and consideration both Mara and Erik spent with me greatly encouraged me to not be afraid of the college application process and reassured me that I will be happy wherever I end up. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for Mara’s positive guidance. I met my new lifelong friends and I am learning my dream career all because of her. GO GATORS!!
Cayla Schwartz
Tulane University
For as long as I can remember, I only wanted to go to one college: Tulane. I knew that getting into that school would be a reach for me, but I made it my focus all throughout high school. When I started working with Mara, I told her Tulane was the only school for me. She really tried to get me to give other places a chance too – which I did. And she made excellent recommendations that really were good choices. But she knew how badly I wanted this ONE school and even though I know she didn’t want me to get my hopes up, she helped me do everything possible to make me the best possible candidate and give me the best chance of being accepted at Tulane. She held my hand the whole way through the application process from the Common App to my essays, and when I was just feeling nervous, she always took the time to reassure me that it all would work out and I would be OK. When I got the good news that I was accepted at Tulane, she was truly as happy as I was. I feel very fortunate to have found Mara and lucky that she was my partner, advisor, counselor and friend throughout my college application process.
Elle LaPenta
Boston College
Over the course of the difficult and stressful college application process, Mara was a constant source of comfort and support for me. Whenever I was anxious or fearful, I would turn to her, and she instantly cured my worries. She provided the tools, resources, and support for me to succeed. Her wholistic approach allowed me to find the right college fit, and I couldn’t be happier at the end result. Working with her was one of the greatest privileges and I will forever be grateful to her. Her positivity kept me going during some of the hardest times, and her kind and charismatic attitude never let me feel alone. Mara was truly one of the greatest gifts I was given during the college application process, and I wish everyone could experience the great pleasure and delight of getting to work with her.
James F.
Ross School of Business, U Michigan
We worked with Mara to help navigate through the college admissions procedures. She was always available to promptly answer any questions and help us in any way. I would highly recommend Mara and One2One College Consulting.
Morgan A.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mara took all my worries and stress away. Any time I had a question or concern within minutes Mara had an answer. Mara would always be ahead of the game and prepare me for the next steps. In the beginning I gave Mara a list of 18 schools and she guided me through the process, easing a very stressful process. She took the time to discuss my career aspirations and which schools would match my interests, and she was able to discuss the importance of community and how that played a huge part in where I would attend. Needless to say, she was spot on suggesting where I could get accepted. Mara was not just any college advisor: she was my biggest supporter and cheerleader. In addition to being the BEST college advisor, One2One provides one stop shopping: career coaching through Digital First, Test Prep, tutoring, and overall support. When I apply to graduate school, I’m 100 percent planning to use One2One and look forward to teaming with Mara again!.
Cole R.
University of Texas, Austin
Mara could not have possibly helped me more throughout the college process, and I genuinely mean that. From emotional support to tangible results through college acceptances, she was with me each and every step of the way, always willing to help and offer advice whenever I needed it. She is terrific and has a great team of writers and tutors that are incredibly understanding and knowledgeable! She facilitated the process for me and made the whole process feel much more manageable and clear. I would recommend her services to anyone and everyone, she was the best!
Clara B.
University of Texas, Austin
Thank you so much for all of your support throughout the college admissions process. Mara was very helpful with great ideas as I was creating my plan to round out my junior year and connect my activities. She also helped me create a balanced list of schools that fit my criteria. She did intensive brainstorming with me for my main essay and encouraged me to make a change when it wasn’t working which allowed me to end up with a unique essay. She also connected me to Erik to help with ACT prep and essay editing which helped me a lot. With Mara’s support I got into Duke ED and I am thrilled about my years ahead!
I 100% recommend MaraPatti and One2One’s college consulting services!
Drew Calloway
Boston University
I would like to thank Mara and everyone on her team for everything they have done for me throughout this process. Initially, I was utterly lost — there were so many questions and uncertainty — but they were there for me every step of the way. They answered all my questions, guided me through every part of the process, and always made sure I felt supported and confident.
The team helped with so much more than just college applications. They gave great advice on building my LinkedIn, helped me look at different schools, and showed me how to find the right fit for my major and goals. Their help made everything so much clearer and easier to manage.
I would also like to specifically thank Eric for all the time he spent helping me with SAT prep and working with me on my essays. His support made a huge difference, and I truly wouldn’t have been able to do it without him.
Thank you again to Mara and her amazing team — I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done!
Sincerely,
Drew Calloway
peter Martelli
NOTRE DAME
Mara and the entire One2One team is there to get kids and parents through the college process. The best words to describe them – “They’ve got you”. She developed a relationship with my son, really genuinely getting to know and hear him so she could advise, support and encourage appropriately. She’s full of energy, honest, reachable and knowledgeable. She and her entire team are there to set your child up for success. In an environment riddled with stress and uncertainty, they are the calm. Need test prep – she has it, need help brainstorming and editing essays – she’s got you, need a tutor – she’s got them too, need help finding the right class, club, sport or program to set you and your application up for success- she knows, need help staying organized – she’ll support you and keep you on track, want insight from someone at a college you’re interested in – she’s got someone in her network she can connect you with, need a person to vent to – she’ll listen and offer advice. Sometimes it’s better to have someone else advise your child, brainstorm with and critique essays and she commiserates with, advises, pushes and guides with a genuineness I doubt you’ll find elsewhere. Your kid is her kid! The college process is so different now and it’s quite helpful having professionals who live in this environment every year, assist and guide. They’ve really got your child (and you) every step of the way. So thankful to Mara and team for all their guidance and support
Monica R.
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMA
I worked with Mara Patti during my college application process as a High School Student as part of the class of 2025. Even though I got a late start with Mara and her team, starting only at the end of my junior year, I was able to be accepted into my “dream school” with constant encouragement and support from Mara.
When I first met with Mara, not only did she listen to my thoughts on where I wanted to go, but she also was completely real with me. By getting a general gauge of the type of college I was hoping to attend, she worked closely with me to generate a well thought out and organized list that displayed my “safeties”, “targets”, “reaches”, and “super reaches”. And quickly after our first meeting, my college process took off. I was meeting with Mara’s team to create and alter social media accounts that would best display me as a hard-working and dedicated high school student to college admissions. She helped me organize and draft my personal resume and Mara also continued to work closely with me and her SAT/ACT prep team to ensure that I was scoring as high as I possibly could on these college standardized tests. And when August first of 2024 hit, Mara made sure that I was on my common app, doing all the prep I needed to do for essays and supplements, answering all of the personal information, and helping me create a spreadsheet to keep everything personally organized.
The part that stressed me out the most about the whole application process was the essay writing as I am more of a “math” student. Not only did I feel insanely comfortable calling Mara whenever, she made sure that my college essay was the absolute best that it could possibly be. Whether this meant sitting on the phone with me for hours, just so I could talk through potential ideas whilst she sat there listening, or asking me questions to generate ideas on topics when I felt stuck. And while I continued to work with her team to make edits to my personal and supplemental essays, she was copied on every draft, email, edit, etc. and was constantly putting in her input. There was never once when I felt Mara was not being 100% real with me. She harshly critiqued my essay ideas, while sparking even better ones at the same time. She was always just a text message away whenever I needed help writing an email. And she never once made me feel stressed out or on edge even when approaching a deadline. She remained calm and worked with me through my crazy stress and anxiety. She made me feel like I was the ONLY student she was working with through this process through her quick replies and constant communication.
Mara is the best college counselor I could’ve ever asked for and I am so extremely grateful for everything she has done for me. I have recommended her to each and every friend of mine who is starting their college application process and I will continue to.