The Lenape Indians, "Original People", welcomed seventeenth-century travelers to Berks County, Pennsylvania. The first white explorers, the Dutch, called the major river SchuylkiIl, "Hidden River." This idyllic riverside, nestled at the junction of three valleys, was framed by rolling hills with one larger mountain guarding the east-Mount Penn. In time, Reading would become the capital of the county, a green expanse of wooded hills and lowland forests that years later would blossom into fertile farmlands as a result of the labor of the Dutch and Swedes and Germans.

King Charles deeded this land to William Penn in 1681. Penn’s sons founded Reading in 1748, naming it, Reading, in honor of their ancestral home in Reading England.

OUR WORLD - today

Reading is a thriving, multicultural city at the hub of tranquil suburbs and farmlands. Reading offers easy access, within an hour or two, to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., as well as Lancaster- home of Pennsylvania Dutch folklore. You can enjoy the best of everything historically, culturally, athletically and artistically while living in a safe, friendly, small town. Best of all, there is Reading Area Community College, towering on the banks of the historic Schuylkill River, standing at the Gateway to the City.

Reading Area Community College - Open Admission/Low Tuition

Everyone is welcome at Reading Area Community College. All you need is a high school diplomaand the willingness to learn. Alter earning an Associate degree in one of more than seventy diverse programs, you will find ample opportunity to move on to a four-year degree through the collaborative efforts between and among Reading Area Community College and four-year colleges in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and throughout the United states. Our low tuition rate enables you to save thousands of dollars while attaining a high quality Associate degree.

Technology

High-tech training; a state-of-the-art multi-media classroom; many computer labs, and a campus computer network with Internet...yours...at Reading Area Community College. Prepare today for the technological challenges of the twenty-first century.

Student and Faculty Reflections

"l feel at home. This is exactly the type of environment I need. Attending Reading Area Community College is truly a unique experience."

"RACC is big and bright and shiny on the outside, but the heart and soul of the College will always be its great professors."

"It is refreshing to teach at Reading Area Community College. Our students want to be here; they’re mature, inquisitive and ready to learn. Our faculty is the most devoted I have known. It’s a joy to come to work every day!"

International Heart

Our students come from a global community: Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, North America, Latin America, and South America. Students of all ages and ethnic backgrounds blend harmoniously at Reading Area Community College Everybody knows your name; you are always a person not a number. Faculty and staff radiate both expertise and friendliness. At the heart of Reading Area Community College you will find genuine warmth. We accommodate our students intellectually, physically, and emotionally with great consideration.

Reading, Pennsylvania, combines the history of yesterday and the tempo of today. Located in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country, Reading offers striking contrasts: farmers’ markets and antique shops to world-class outlets; old fashioned, home-style eateries to five-star French restaurants; small family businesses to massive corporate centers; rustic covered bridges to ultra modem buildings of glass and steel; the Reading Symphony Orchestra to our annual Jazz Fest, which draws musicians from across the United States; tradition to high technology. READING, reflected in the waters of the Schuylkill River and illuminated by the landmark Pagoda atop Mount Penn, blends the best of both worlds, the old and the new. You will find Reading Area Community College a bridge from Your World to Ours. Welcome!

For more information, contact:

Mr.Nicholas Wernicki, Director of Admissions, Reading Area Community College, Ten South Second Street, P.O. Box 1706, Reading, Pennsylvania 19603-9907 Email: NW4964@email.racc.cc.pa.us
Call 1400-626-1665 website at www.racc.cc.pa.us

Author: Reading Area Community College

This article first appeared in Studying Abroad magazine