College Admissions Advising

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A structured, expert-led approach to navigating college admissions

Wagner Prep has supported hundreds of families with thoughtful, personalized college advising built on strategy, clarity, and trust.

Applying to college has become increasingly complex. Between shifting admissions policies, layered deadlines, testing decisions, and extensive writing, many students feel overwhelmed and parents are unsure how to help without adding pressure.

Wagner Prep provides expert, one-on-one college admissions advising that brings structure, clarity and steady guidance to every step of the process. We help students stay organized and confident while giving parents clear visibility into progress, priorities, and what comes next.

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What We Do

We are mentors, project managers, and expert guides all in one. We help students stay focused, organized, and on track from start to finish. Our process is straightforward and student first, designed to keep the work manageable for both students and families.

We know every student begins in a different place. Some only need a few focused sessions to refine a personal statement. Others want weekly guidance while they explore majors, build a thoughtful college list, and move through the entire application season. We help students make strong decisions by focusing on who they are, what they want, and how to communicate their story clearly and honestly.

Your student receives personalized, strategic support that adapts to their goals, strengths, schedule, and pace. Our role is to bring structure, clarity, and steady accountability so your student never feels lost or overwhelmed. Our role for parents is to be the buffer, translator, and project manager, so you can support your child without having to be a taskmaster.

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How Our Process Works

We break the admissions process into clear stages so students are never trying to solve everything at once.

01

Explore

Your student explores strengths, interests, and possible majors, then starts building a resume and college list to match.

  • Learn the landscapeSchool types, how programs and majors work differently across institutions, and the distinctions that actually change the experience.
  • Define family prioritiesGeography, size, cost, environment, and the parameters that will shape the list.
  • Position the storyReview and position extracurriculars so the student's story is clear, and build the resume that reflects it.
02

Evaluate

Your student's priorities become a complete application strategy.

  • Final list strategyBuild the final list of 10-12 schools, balanced across likely, target, and reach, with an ED strategy and priority ranking that gives your student a real shot at their top choice.
  • Student storyFigure out what thread connects their activities, interests, and goals, and how that lands at each school on the list.
  • Financial fitStress-test the list against financial fit and merit aid opportunities so there are no surprises in the spring.
03

Execute

Your student applies to colleges with support for every essay, every deadline met and their final decision.

  • Essay coachingDedicated coaching from first draft to final submission. Your advisor's eyes are on every essay for every school, so the writing keeps getting better.
  • Project managementFull project management from the first brainstorm to final submission, so your student is never scrambling and you're not nagging them to finish.
  • Decision supportHitting submit isn't the finish line. We stay with your student through interviews, waitlist strategy, merit aid negotiation, and decision day.

Who We Work With

Families come to Wagner Prep because they want a thoughtful, personalized approach to college admissions. They care about fit, clarity, and strategy. They want a trusted expert who understands the admissions landscape from Ivies to Flagship Publics and has guided hundreds of students through it with purpose and care.

We work with students who benefit from a calm, structured process and who thrive when expectations are clear and the next steps make sense. Our job is to meet your student where they are and help them move forward with confidence, no matter when they begin.

  • Many families begin working with us as rising 9th or 10th graders. We assist with early major and interest exploration, high school course selection, and guidance on extracurricular and summer opportunities.

    Students in this stage learn about themselves and make choices that position them well for the college process. Parents appreciate having a steady partner who can help their student make informed, thoughtful choices early on. Read more about our Early Explorer Program here.

  • Most families begin working with us at the start of junior year. By this point, the pressure is building and the process starts to feel like one giant, overwhelming task.

    “Apply to college” is said as if it is a single step, when in reality it is closer to thirty different tasks spread across the exploration, evaluation, and execution stages.

    During junior year, we provide the strategy, structure, and steady mentorship that help students move forward with confidence. We break the process into manageable pieces, create a clear roadmap, and guide students through decisions that would otherwise feel confusing or rushed. Parents get to step out of the role of project manager and back into the role of supporter. Read more about our College Advising Program here.

  • Some students begin working with us after senior year has started. In these situations, the discovery and planning stages are brief, but we can still provide targeted, effective support. We help students gain clarity quickly, set priorities, and stay organized through the busiest months of the application season. Read more about our College Advising Program here.

    Additionally, we guide students through essay refinement, supplemental writing, application organization, interview preparation, and decision navigation, including waitlists and letters of continued interest. Read more about Essay Coaching here.

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Our advising team combines decades of teaching, writing, and admissions experience. We know how overwhelming this process can be, and we bring the structure, clarity, and mentorship students need to move forward with confidence. Each student works one on one with an advisor while also receiving the benefit of our shared expertise.

Meet Your Advising Team

Mike Wagner

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Lead College Admissions Counselor and Founder

Mike Wagner brings more than a decade of experience helping students navigate an increasingly complex college admissions landscape. Before founding Wagner Prep, he spent seven years as a high school history teacher, where he saw firsthand how overwhelming the path to college had become for both students and parents. That experience shaped his student-first philosophy: clear structure, steady mentorship, and honest guidance without pressure.

As an advisor, Mike helps students explore majors, build thoughtful and balanced college lists, develop strong application strategies, and write personal statements and supplements that feel authentic and grounded. Families appreciate his ability to break big tasks into manageable steps, keep students focused, and communicate clearly at every stage of the process.

Mike also remains deeply engaged in the broader admissions world. He stays up to date on national testing trends, admissions data, and changes in selectivity. He regularly collaborates with school counselors, college representatives, and fellow educators to make sure the families he works with receive accurate, strategic, and timely advice.

Mike serves as the primary strategist on all advising cases and oversees the full advising team so each student benefits from shared insight and comprehensive support. Read more about Mike here. 

Sebastian Suarez

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College Admissions Counselor

Sebastian is a thoughtful, supportive advisor who brings a strong mix of academic insight, essay expertise, and admissions experience to his work with students. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film with Honors from Portland State University and is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma graduate. Earlier in his career, he worked inside a university admissions office, giving him firsthand insight into how colleges review applications and what helps students stand out.

Sebastian has more than five years of tutoring and mentoring experience. Before joining Wagner Prep, he advised students who went on to gain admission to Notre Dame, Wesleyan, Tulane, Duke, McGill, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Amsterdam, University College London, the University of Edinburgh, and Trinity College Dublin and other selective institutions. Many of the students he now supports come from New York City independent and public schools, and he is especially skilled at guiding students applying to international colleges and universities. 

His advising approach centers on authenticity. Sebastian helps students uncover meaningful stories, refine their ideas, and shape writing that feels personal and genuine. He provides structured outlines, detailed feedback, and clear next steps while helping students maintain ownership of their work. Parents consistently describe him as patient, supportive, and exceptionally easy for students to connect with.

Outside of advising, Sebastian works as an SAT English tutor, academic editor and enjoys traveling, writing, and exploring new cultures and languages.

Trusted by Families, Proven by Results

Parents consistently tell us they felt calmer, clearer, and more confident once they began working with us. Here are a few of their experiences.

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Wagner Prep has been an invaluable part of both of my daughters’ high school experiences. Over the past two years, we worked with Michael for college preparation and application support, and more recently with Sebastian to help us understand and manage the IB program.

Sebastian was incredibly organized, kept my daughter on track, and explained everything with clear, accurate knowledge of the IB system. And as always, Michael was knowledgeable, supportive, and consistently dedicated to guiding our family through the college prep process with confidence and with truly amazing results. We couldn’t have done it without Wagner Prep. Thank you both!

–Jacqueline T. (Parent)

Mike and his team can’t fix the broken college admissions system, but they can help you navigate it. They were a steady voice guiding our son along the way. Mike is honest, logical, and straightforward. They travel this road every year, know the bumps along the way, and help you reach your destination intact.

— Cormac C. (Parent)

I went into my first meeting with Mike without a clear path, and ended up with scholarships from multiple schools. He helped me develop the story and narrative of my Common App essay and taught me writing skills I’ll use long after high school. He made the entire application process manageable for both me and my family.

— Anna M. (Student)

Student Stories

See how personalized advising shaped successful outcomes for others

Read Case Studies

See more 5-star reviews from families on Google

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We guide students through the entire college admissions process with personalized, structured support. Our work includes:

    Strategy and Planning

    • Assessing academic strengths, weaknesses, and admissions goals

    • Reviewing potential majors and academic pathways

    • Creating balanced and strategic college lists

    • Planning Early Action and Early Decision timelines

    • Developing standardized testing plans for SAT, ACT, and AP exams

    • Advising on course selection and extracurricular development

    • Mapping application deadlines and weekly action plans

    Application Support

    • Brainstorming, outlining, developing, and refining the Common App essay

    • Coaching for all supplemental writing

    • Reviewing and organizing the Common App and application materials

    • Recommendation letter planning, including who to ask and when

    • Interview preparation for colleges, programs, and scholarships

    • Help with arts and architecture portfolios

    Specialized Guidance

    • Advising for engineering, business, pre-med, pre-law, nursing, DPT, pharmacy, and arts programs

    • Support for students with accommodations, IEPs, IESPs, or learning differences

    • Guidance for NCAA athletic recruitment

    • Support for applications to United States Service Academies

    Financial Aid and Scholarships

    • Scholarship search strategy

    • Financial aid application guidance

    • Review and breakdown of financial aid packages

    Ongoing Mentorship and Accountability

    • Regular virtual meetings

    • As-needed messaging and check-ins

    • Continuous guidance through decisions, deferrals, waitlists, and final college selection

  • Most families begin the summer before junior year. This timing gives students space to explore majors, plan meaningful summer experiences, and complete much of their writing before senior year becomes busy.

    Some students start earlier, especially if they want help with long-term planning, course selection, or building a strong extracurricular and summer strategy.

    Others begin during the summer before senior year or even once senior year has started.

    Many of our students have demanding schedules. For example, competitive athletes, dancers, and performers often have limited summer availability, and starting earlier simply gives them more breathing room.

    The truth is that every student is different. The best time to begin is when your family is ready, and we can support students at any stage. Whether your student is planning ahead or beginning later in the process, we help them move forward with clarity, organization, and steady support.

  • We intentionally do not specialize in only one field. Students grow and change throughout high school, and their ideas about majors, programs, and career paths often shift. Our broad experience allows us to guide students who are exploring multiple directions, narrowing their interests, or applying to a mix of programs.

    We have worked with students pursuing engineering, business, pre-medical tracks, conservatory-level arts, humanities programs, and more. This range helps us stay creative and strategic when shaping a student’s path, whether the priority is getting into a dream school, finding the best program for their interests, or building a realistic and exciting set of options.

    Our role is to help students discover what fits, build thoughtful and balanced lists, write strong essays, and navigate every decision with clarity and confidence.

  • Fit matters most to us. We help students build realistic, well-balanced lists rather than chasing a prestige-only path. Our students have been admitted to a wide range of selective schools, including the University of Pennsylvania, George Washington University, Notre Dame, Bard College, Wesleyan, Tulane, Trinity College, McGill, Columbia, USC, Duke, Boston College, BU, Salve Regina University, University of Michigan and Northeastern.

  • Yes. Many families work with us solely on the Common App essay or school-specific supplements. Our essay coaches specialize in writing structure, clarity, and voice, and can support students even if they already have strong guidance from school advisors.

  • We are built for that. We act as the project manager for the admissions process and keep students on track with clear timelines, structured priorities, and steady support. Parents stay informed without needing to step in or micromanage.

  • Within twenty-four hours of every session, families receive a session report that outlines the tasks completed, important next steps, and big picture thoughts. You always know exactly where your student stands and what comes next. Your college advisor is also checking in regularly via email, text, and/or phone calls to stay in alignment with family goals.

  • No, this program is all about researching and applying to college, not test prep itself. What you'll get is a clear sense of when testing should start for your student. When that time comes, our SAT/ACT tutors work one on one with your student toward their goal score.  Read more about our test prep here.

Ready to Make a plan?

Whether your student is just beginning the process or needs help finishing strong, we are here to guide them with clarity, care, and thoughtful strategy.

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