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 |