What Language Should I Learn?

Hey everyone!

For some time now I have been researching different languages offered at the university I will be transferring to in 6 months to 1 year. Although I have time to decide, that's the exact reason why I am trying to figure out what to study now (while I do have the time to really analyze what I want as opposed to choosing one in the moment at the last minute). There are 15 foreign languages offered at this school, four of which I am incredibly interested in.

Those languages are:
- Hebrew
- Persian (Farsi)
- Arabic
- Russian

I have different reasons for why I like each language. For instance, I love Hebrew because I view Israel as a holy place and would feel like I would be connecting with a higher power by learning it (plus I am Ashkenazi Jewish -- not religiously however). Then with Persian, I've always been fascinated with Iran and I want to study political science in college, and considering Iran is a nuclear powerhouse and a major world threat, learning this language would not only help me understand the situation, but be able to communicate if I were to go into politics after college. With Arabic, it is one of the most spoken languages in the world (3rd, I believe) and the Middle East is a giant part of our lives now. It will also help in the political realm given that it is spoken in this region with high political conflict. Also in terms of politics, learning both Hebrew or Arabic would assist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Gaza. Lastly, there is Russian which I have always found interesting. Russia is a major world power and there are a lot of Russian speakers in the world. Learning Russian would assist politically on the same level as Arabic.

One main reason I am conflicted is also based on the level of difficulty of these languages. I would guess that Arabic would be the most challenging, then Russian, Hebrew, and Persian. Normally I would assume Persian would be more difficult than some of these considering it uses the Arabic script, but it is actually an Indo-European language and therefore has a lot of connections to English. I definitely do not want to get in over my head, which is why I don't think I would take Arabic (even though I would looove to). However, this might change.

Overall, which language would you take if you were in my position and why??

I already talked to you about this. I am still saying Arabic now.

I think Arabic would be pretty cool. It may be challenging, but I think if you have a great professor and surround yourself with helpful resources and really give it your all, it will definitely pay off.

arabic !! my dad is fluent and insists on me learning so ive been in classes since i was 5 lol, its a bit difficult but it is a beautiful language

Well, I'm a little biased but I think u should do Hebrew! I've been learning it all my life, and it's a beautiful language, a bit annoying with some rules but it's really amazing once u get them down.

I think you'd enjoy it  and then we could have convos

i personally study german but arabic sounds the most fun out of your list

Thanks for everyone's opinions so far!

All of these languages are beautiful but difficult to learn. The amount of time and effort is probably similar for each, I assume, so I'd say go for the one you feel you'd enjoy the most and that you think is the most worthwhile. If you think you'll enjoy Arabic then you should go for it. It'll definitely be hard but that's what learning a language is like anyway 

Thanks for that advice, Anika!