<p>michaelburt,</p>
<p>Several people in my family speak Arabic, Assyrian, and/or Farsi. These languages are all very different from each other. (I have taken stabs at them but took the easy way out and learned a Romance language.) I recently spoke with a cadet at WP who had originally wanted to study Arabic there. He learned how difficult it is and decided that with all of his responsibilities he would skip it rather than set himself up for failure. He said that if he needed it, the Army would send him to the Defense Language Institute (<a href="http://www.dliflc.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.dliflc.edu/</a>) to learn it.</p>
<p>I saw a recent Arabic language demo from Rosetta Stone (<a href="http://www2.rosettastone.com/en/%5B/url%5D">http://www2.rosettastone.com/en/</a>) which was very interesting. They offer Arabic and it may be a good way for you to begin learning the language.</p>
<p>Please don't think for a minute that I'm trying to talk you out of it. My understanding is that the Arabic program at WP is excellent. If you are interested in focusing your career on the Middle East, it will be invaluable. It will also be difficult. "Difficult" shouldn't stop you if you have a goal to reach.</p>