The Arabic department, one of the toughest programs at Georgetown, has changed the make-up of courses offered after the second level for Modern Standard Arabic. The problem? No one remembered to inform the students until they started heading off for Easter break.

In the past, the Arabic department offered only three-credit, non-intensive classes on the advanced level. Beginning next semester, however, the department will offer only six-credit, intensive advanced courses. The change itself is a good one. A five-day-a-week intensive course is beneficial for achieving proficiency in any language. With a language as different from English as Arabic, daily practice is indispensable.

The switch, however, took many Arabic students by surprise. The Arabic department never formally announced its decision, and many second-level students heard about it by word-of-mouth or from their deans. Some simply discovered the change when they began pre-registering.

Although the change does not impact a large portion of the student body, that which it does involve will have to revise many of their academic goals. A six-credit course disrupts four-year plans that had budgeted for half the credits. In addition, the change raises new questions about study abroad possibilities.

Admittedly, there are three-credit Arabic electives that students can take in lieu of an advanced course. But some students are unclear as to how those electives will count toward minor requirements. Students in the School of Foreign Service have also expressed concern about how they will juggle preparation for the proficiency exam with other classes.

In the long run, the Arabic department made the right call in changing the advanced level to a six-credit course. Rather than informing students of the credit shake-up to coincide with pre-registration’s launch, however, the department should have announced it earlier. Students should never be forced to make decisions on the fly about their course roadmap.