I forgot to ask before I opened it...but I got this kit here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007NNICDE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It doesn't require soldering right? Solderless breadboard does the job?

Thanks for the help everyone! I got an uno r3 starter kit.

Is there any assembly required with the starter kits I listed or with the boards in general to set up?

What are some basic things I should know before buying a board?

Do you have access to a computer running Windows, Linux, or MacOS?  That is a requirement for working with an Arduino.

Yes, my laptop runs Windows 7. Would these starter kits be suitable?
http://www.amazon.com/Starter-Kit-Newsite-Uno-Breadboard/dp/B0051QHPJM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362468097&sr=1-1&keywords=arduino
or this: http://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-AX-KIT1-Arduino-Starter-Kit/dp/B007NNICDE/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362468153&sr=1-8&keywords=arduino+starter+kit

A starter kit would probably be better than getting a board by itself?

I would like to eventually do more than just flash the LED and other simple stuff. Having said that, I would preferably like to keep the overall cost below $50 and have a good number of options in terms of stuff I can do with the board. Is that possible?

I'm a college student, and I'm interested in learning basic programming. I'm completely new to this do it yourself software stuff.  I took a look at Raspberry Pi, but it seemed like there were too many additional costs like getting a monitor, cables, etc. So I found Arduino!
What are some basic things I should know before buying a board?

Am I correct in thinking that I only need a USB cable to plug in the board to my laptop and then I can run everything from there? No other peripherals like an HDMI cable?
There is learning/educational software preloaded on the Arduino environment that is downloaded?
How easy is Arduino to use for beginners? Is it a good investment? Will I learn a lot through using it?
What board would you recommend?
Anything else I should know?

Thank you!