While one student gets ready to leave the country in search of a new life experience, another student is planning a trip to leave the country.

Patrick Doggett, a senior history major, traveled to England on Sunday, Sept. 19 to study for approximately three months at the University of Winchester.

“I’m not nervous just excited and curious to see England and everything that goes with it,” Doggett said before he left.

Doggett said the idea of studying abroad has always been present but became stronger when a representative from the University of Winchester came to his class and talked about the subject.

England seemed like the perfect destination for Doggett because he was interested in the rich history of the country, and he had family mem-bers who lived in the country.

At the University of Winchester, he will be taking 12 credit hours.

One of Doggett’s main goals while studying in England is to keep his grades up.

“My goals are to do well in my classes, live and better understand a new culture, see all the historic sites in England and understand what people from a different country think about the United States,” he said.

Doggett said he plans to visit the Tower of London, go to an English Premier League soccer match and visit Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire.

Brenda Muñoz, a junior political science major, is planning to study abroad in Australia either in the summer or fall of 2011 at Griffith University.

Muñoz said she wants to experience something out of the ordinary, while she is there.

“I just want to try something new and I think Australia is the perfect place to do it,” she said.

Muñoz has already met with coordinators at the study abroad office and will stay in contact with them to plan her trip to Australia.

Muñoz said college students should take advantage of studying abroad while they can since later in life traveling tends to be more complicated.

Farhan Aziz, coordinator of study abroad, encourages students to study abroad for a variety of reasons including meeting new friends, building your resume and simply having a life changing experience.

Aziz said the sooner students study abroad the better since classes are more flexible in the first two years of college.

For more information contact the Study Abroad Office at 581-7267.

Pablo Rodriguez can be reached at 581-7942 or jprodriguez@eiu.edu.