Achieve at Villa
Villa Maria College is more than just a place to take classes. It’s a place where you can pursue your passion, sharpen your skills and take your talents to the next level. Villa offers its students unwavering support – from assistive technology to personalized accommodations, to help you succeed and meet your academic goals here. However, being an Achieve student at Villa isn’t just about doing well in your classes, it’s about connecting with your classmates, growing socially, trying new things and having a true college experience.
Is Achieve for You?
Villa’s Achieve Program was created by a team of people who specialize in and truly understand learning differences, and how to assist students living with them. Our Achieve Center staff, faculty, assistive technology and updated facilities are equipped to help students with the following learning differences succeed:
- ADD
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Auditory Processing Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Depression
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyslexia
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- PTSD
- Visual Processing Disorder
All colleges and universities are required to provide some accommodations to students with disabilities, including learning disabilities. These services, which are free of charge to students, are meant to help students with documented learning disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism spectrum disorder, and other disabilities have a level academic playing field with their peers. The Achieve Program’s robust support system is fee-based, and goes beyond these standard accommodations, working with students who struggle with common obstacles like procrastination, time management and prioritization. Even if you have a learning difference that is not listed above, give us a call. We go above and beyond what you’ll find at other institutions.
Why Achieve at Villa?
The Achieve Program offers personalized support services to students with learning differences. Each student is treated as an individual, and receives support that is customized to meet their needs, maximizing their ability to learn and meet both their educational and social goals.
The program’s team oriented approach is supported by assistive technology and facilities exclusive to Achieve students. These factors help Villa’s Achieve students to overcome some of the common challenges that may overwhelm or intimidate students with learning differences.
Tuition
Choosing to make the investment into earning a college degree from a private college is a big deal, both for your future and financially. Our Office of Financial Aid works hard to make Villa an affordable option without compromising the high quality education you can expect to receive. In fact, 99% of all Villa students receive some form of financial aid and 96% of students receive Villa-funded grants and scholarships. We’re here to guide you to success at every step of the way. Contact the Office of Financial Aid at 716-961-1850 with any questions you may have about financing your education.
- College tuition per semester (full-time): $12,350
- College tuition per credit hour (part-time): $820
- The Achieve Program has two levels:
- Level 1: 3-hours of tutoring/week — $2,000/semester
- Level 2: 5-hours of tutoring/week — $2,500/semester
Please note that fees may be added for courses requiring a course fee. These costs are subject to change.
Students enrolled in the Achieve Program have exclusive and unlimited access to the Achieve Center. This includes private classrooms and computer labs, experienced tutors who specialize in learning differences, quiet tutoring rooms, assistive technology and ongoing support and training to maximize their use, and personalized support for students’ entire time at Villa. The Achieve Center is open to students whenever they are on campus and the building is open. Even in between classes or tutoring sessions, Achieve students are able to use the Center as a quiet place to do their work or study.
Enrollment
In order to enroll in to Villa’s Achieve Program for Students with Learning Differences, students must document their disability. For more information, please contact Laura Pietak, program director, at 716-961-2869.
Academic Resources
Care Team
Outside of the Achieve Program, Villa offers all students a robust network of support services designed to help students feel comfortable on campus and keep up with their work.
Student Success Center
Villa’s Student Success Center provides services and programs that are designed to enhance all undergraduate students’ academic performances and promote successful completion of their academic careers at Villa Maria College. The Student Success Center provides student-centered planning to foster personal and academic growth that leads to empowerment and transformation.
For more information on the SSC, click here.
Library’s Quiet Room
The North Room of the library is a designated quiet zone, or a quiet room that serves as a distraction-free work place. Conversations, cell phones and group work are not permitted in this room, but headphones may be worn if the sound is not audible to other students in the area. The library also houses a second area in which collaboration and group work are encouraged.
Student Life
Being an Achieve student at Villa is more than just attending classes and meeting academic goals. At Villa, students have the opportunity to take full advantage of their college experience. Villa Maria College offers a unique and engaging student life programming that encourages all students to get to know each other, try new things and celebrate college life.
Eye to Eye
A group of Achieve students recently founded Villa’s chapter of Eye to Eye, a mentoring organization for students with learning differences. Students involved with Eye to eye encourage one another to celebrate that they learn differently and empower one another to thrive.
First Year Mentor Program
In order to help ease the transition from high school to college, all first year students are assigned a mentor. Their mentor is a College staff member who is available to help answer questions, provide social support, and guidance to develop a supportive social network on campus, and celebrate student successes.
Student Clubs and Intercollegiate Athletics
Villa offers a variety of student-run clubs and extracurricular activities that match every interest. Whether you’re interested in learning more photography, fashion, drama, volunteering and more, there is a club for you.
To learn more about becoming involved in a club, click here.
If you prefer physical activity, consider joining the Villa Vikings. The Vikings compete in the USCAA and offer the following teams: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf and women’s bowling.
To learn more about the Villa Vikings, click here.
Career Readiness Program
The College’s new Career Readiness Program was designed to help Achieve students improve their career readiness skills in preparation for transition from college to career. The program utilizes one-on-one coaching and specialized workshops to explore majors, career paths, skills/strengths assessments, and part-time jobs to help build their resumes and gain experience. Further, it encourages on-campus internship experiences to help prepare students to interview for and work at an off-campus internship site. The program made an immediate impact. Between 2015 and 2020, only 6 Achieve students participated in off-campus internships. After just one semester of working with the Career Readiness Program, 7 Achieve students are participating in the on-campus internship experience and 6 students had off-campus internship during the summer of 2021. Triple the number of Achieve students earned this critical experience in the program’s first semester.
”"Every student in the Achieve Program has unique learning needs, goals, and challenges. With in-depth conversations and listening to their educational history, we can tailor learning strategies and services to meet the needs of our students."
Laura PietakDirector of the Achieve Program