College Advocacy Center

College Advocacy Center

Thinking about college? The IMANI College Advocacy Center can help!

The IMANI College Advocacy Center works with the Montclair High School Guidance Department to guide students through every step of the college admissions process. If you have concerns about which schools would be a good fit for you or how to pay for your college education, we can help you search for colleges, fill out applications, answer essay questions, and find out about scholarships and financial aid.

Our services are offered at no cost to Montclair High School students and their families.

Get the support you need as you pursue the path to college.

“The gentle persistence and careful attention of my college essay coach and mentor not only helped me finish one of the most important and annoying aspects of my college application, but also made a long stressful process more bearable.” —Tara, Howard University, Class of 2020


Take advantage of the services we provide to MHS students and their families:

  • One-on-one counseling from staff and volunteer mentors
  • Writing coaches to assist with preparation of college application essays
  • A personalized checklist for the college admissions process
  • Access to our library of college brochures and publications
  • Use of computers for researching colleges and completing online applications
  • Assistance with financial aid and scholarship applications and evaluating aid offers
  • Individual follow-up with colleges
  • Workshops and guest speakers on college admissions, financial aid, and the transition to college life
  • Partnerships with college admission offices (e.g., Wesleyan, Drew, Carnegie Mellon)

Our goal is to help each student find the right fit. See where our students have enrolled.

The IMANI College Advocacy Center is located at
73 South Fullerton Avenue (2nd floor), Montclair, NJ

The Center is open after school and in the evenings from Monday through Friday, and on Saturday mornings during the school year.

Ready to get started?
Call the IMANI College Advocacy Center at 973-509-2822 and make an appointment to meet with our team.
Learn how we work with the MHS Guidance Department.


How IMANI works with the Montclair High School Guidance Department

The MHS Guidance Department is the primary resource for MHS students embarking on the college search process. A college counselor meets with each student and a parent or guardian in the winter or spring of the junior year and then again in the fall of the senior year to review graduation requirements, present an overview of the college application process, and advise on college selection.

After the junior year conference with the guidance counselor, IMANI staff and volunteers help students research and refine their college list. This process helps determine which schools might be the best fit for the students’ interests, academic profile, career goals, and financial need.

In the spring of the junior year, guidance counselors recommend selected students to participate in IMANI Spring SAT Prep, offered in partnership with Smart Learner.

When students start on their college applications in the fall of the senior year, IMANI works closely with the student and guidance counselor to ensure that students:

  • Complete and submit all parts of the application
  • Obtain fee waivers, if eligible
  • Prepare supplemental materials and portfolios if needed
  • Report test scores
  • Research and apply for scholarships and financial aid
  • Address other issues related to high school graduation or college admissions

Each year, an IMANI representative travels with MHS Guidance staff to the NACAC Conference to gather the latest information on college admissions trends.

When admissions decisions are announced in the spring, IMANI teams up with the Guidance Office to review college acceptances and financial aid offers and help students and their families make a final decision about post-graduation plans.

Learn more about college and career planning.


IMANI has helped hundreds of minority students gain admission to college.
Many are the first in their families to attend college. Our students have been accepted to some of the most selective private schools as well as highly regarded state colleges and universities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Here’s a partial list of where our students have enrolled:

Alfred University

American University

Boston College

Boston University

Brown University

Carnegie Mellon University

Castleton University

Centenary College

Clark Atlanta University

Clemson University

Colgate University

Colorado College

College of the Holy Cross

Columbia University

Cornell University

Drew University

Drexel University

Emerson College

Emory University

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Fashion Institute of Technology

Fordham University

Franklin & Marshall College

George Mason University

Georgia Tech

Hampton University

Harvard University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Howard University

Johns Hopkins University

Kean University

Laboratory Institute of Merchandising

Lafayette College

Loyola University

Maryland College of Art

Middlebury College

Monmouth University

Montclair State University

Morgan State University

Morehouse College

Mount Holyoke College

Muhlenberg College

New Jersey City University

NJIT

NYU

Northeastern University

Northwestern University

Ohio University

Pace University

Penn State

Pratt Institute

Purdue University

Quinnipiac University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rider University

Rowan University

Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

St. John’s University

Savannah College of Art and Design

Seton Hall University

Smith College

Spelman College

Stevens Institute of Technology

Stockton University

Stony Brook University

State University of New York

Syracuse University

Temple University

The College of New Jersey

The George Washington University

The Ohio State University

Tufts University

University of Bridgeport

University of California, Berkeley

UCLA

University of Colorado, Boulder

University of Connecticut

University of Delaware

University of Maryland, College Park

University of Massachusetts

University of Miami

University of Michigan

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

University of Virginia

Vassar College

Virginia State University

Wesleyan University