I am a college student, sophmore at a fairly expensive college. I work the tech center at Best Buy currently, I make $10 an hour, part time there, during the school I work roughly 15-20 hours. This summer I am interested in a getting a decent sized flat panel TV, maybe 30-42". I am looking in the range of $1500-2500. Just curious if other college students have flat panels and how they paid for it? Monthly plan? Straight up? And what kinda jobs you have and how long did it or is it taking you to pay off? Just trying to get an idea of how much trouble I really am getting myself into, if I purchase one.

I didn't even have a CD player or color TV my freshman year in college... (1989)

lol, i can't imagine a college student paying in full unless you're a wealthy college student. Go for it when theres 0% interest for 2 years (assuming you have or are able to get a Best Buy card) but don't pay minimum or else you'll be in trouble when those deferred charges come up. Pay $100 or so every month and you should be fine. But will you have enough money left for other things ? Don't buy this thing if its going to take up a considerable amount of your income. So, you need to ask yourself how much do u REALLY need this (wouldn't a $400-600, 27-36" CRT do ?) and can you really afford it considering your current and possible future situation. Asking what others are doing isn't going to help. Your situation is yours and yours alone, you need to figure out if you can handle it or not.

Flat panels are great but even I, last year, settled on a CRT. It was still near $2K but its 57" and puts out a fantastic picture. Sure its a heavy mofo but its not going anywhere and its in the living room. Love to have a flat panel but still too expensive and picture isn't the greatest that it could be yet. I'm waiting for the technology to mature more and come down in price. I know you're young and want to have the "cool" stuff but think sensibly and plan it out. Going to an expensive college doesn't help but that does come first before entertainment needs/wants.

You can get a 30" syntax flatpanel in the $1000 range on sale and/or with rebates.

there's a saying - live like a businessman when you are a student, and you'll live like a student when you are a businessman.

I resemble(d) that remark!

(of course, most of my money was spent on barley pop, not TVs... )

if your college experience is like everyone else's, you will be surrounded by drunk people... i couldn't trust drunk people coming over and playing with my ps1.. i would get so nervous they would step on it for something.... i couldn't imagine stumbling drunks near my 2k tv

LoL yea that was definitely thought about.

I would advise not spending the money, like others have said unless you plan on living like a hermit there is a 100% chance that one of the following will happen to your TV

1. Beer Spill
2. It will get puked on
3. Someone will get rammed into it
4. It will get urinated on
5. Random flying object will scratch or otherwise break the screen
6. It will be sacrificed in some unknown ritual and burned on your front lawn