By Margaret Luce
“I just don’t think I can take this test again,” my daughter Claire sighed, pushing away her SAT prep book. It was our fourth attempt at improving her score, and the strain was visible in our home. What should have been a period of excitement about her future had turned into a source of daily tension—not just for her, but for our entire family.
The college admissions process has intensified dramatically over the past decade. As New York University Professor Jonathan Haidt points out in “The Anxious Generation,” today’s teens face unprecedented pressure that’s taking a toll on their mental wellbeing. For Claire, each disappointing test score seemed to diminish her confidence further, despite our investment in conventional tutoring and endless practice exams.
“You have to talk to Mike. He’s great,” my friend Rebecca said when I confided my concerns over lunch. She described how Wagner Prep had transformed her son’s experience with testing—a reluctant test-taker with ADHD who had previously shut down around standardized tests. Something in her description resonated with me. We needed a different approach. Mike’s first conversation with our family revealed why Wagner Prep stands apart in the crowded test prep and college admissions landscape. While many companies focus on credentials and perfect scores, Mike staffs his team exclusively with high-EQ tutors who can genuinely connect with teens. “Content knowledge is just the baseline,” he explained. “The real difference comes from understanding each student’s unique approach to learning and building their confidence from there.”
The transformation began almost immediately. Her tutor, Marley, worked with her twice weekly—not just on SAT content but on test anxiety and disrupting negative thought patterns. After sessions, Claire would share insights that went beyond math formulas: “I realized I’ve been catastrophizing about this test,” or “I’m learning to separate my self-worth from my test scores.”
Mike himself provided what felt like brief therapy sessions for me, helping reframe my perspective when I’d spiral into worry. He showed me data on gradual score improvements, emphasizing progress over perfection. “The college process isn’t just about getting in somewhere prestigious,” he reminded me. “It’s about finding where your child will thrive while preserving their well-being—and your relationship through the process.”
This philosophy permeated every aspect of their program. When Claire’s scores began improving—eventually resulting in a 210-point gain—Wagner Prep seamlessly shifted focus to college selection and applications. Their approach went beyond rankings and acceptance rates to consider campus culture, program resources and personal fit. They encouraged Claire to trust her intuition about environments where she’d feel supported.
Perhaps most valuable was how Wagner Prep structured communication. They worked directly with Claire while keeping me informed through detailed session reports. This arrangement fostered my daughter’s independence while allowing me to stay connected—a delicate balance that, as Haidt noted, is crucial for healthy parent-teen relationships during this transitional period.
Mike’s background explains this distinctive approach. A former history teacher, he witnessed firsthand how traditional education often fails to support individual potential and emotional wellbeing. At 26, he took a bold step—quitting his high school history teaching job and traveling to Argentina, where he lived without knowing the language or “anyone on the continent.” This experience reinforced his belief in the growth that comes from managed challenges and informed Wagner Prep’s philosophy of “supported struggle.”
Since founding Wagner Prep in 2015, Mike has built a team of over 30 professionals united by this holistic vision. They understand that college preparation isn’t just about academic achievement—it’s about helping teens develop resilience, self-knowledge and healthy perspectives on success.
By spring of Claire’s senior year, we celebrated acceptances from the University of Southern California, the University of North Carolina and several other top schools. But the real victory was watching my daughter approach decisions with confidence and clarity. She had learned to separate her worth from her achievements and developed tools to manage academic pressure that will serve her well beyond high school.
In today’s high-stakes educational environment, Wagner Prep offers something invaluable: a path through college admissions that strengthens rather than damages teen mental health. For parents navigating this challenging terrain, its approach provides the perfect balance of expertise, empathy and emotional support.
As I watch Claire confidently prepare for college, I realize that beyond acceptances and test scores, the most valuable outcome was learning to support her journey while preserving her mental health and our relationship. In today’s high-pressure academic world, that might be the most important achievement of all.
