rMBP or MBA?

[knck out]

Hello everyone I am deciding on a computer for college and I can't decide between an upgraded MBA or a refurbished rMBP

The upgraded air would have:
i7 1.7-3.3 ghz processor
8gb of ram

The rMBP would have
i5 2.5-3.1ghz processor
8gb of ram

The air is about a pound lighter but weights not really am issue

There practically the same when it comes to processor speed and ram but the airs do have a faster SSD and longer battery life while the pro has a retina display so that's what I'm having trouble with, is weighing a faster SSD and battery life compared to a Retina Display

I'm torn right down the middle, was wondering if anyone could lend some insight?

 

[Bear]

...
I'm torn right down the middle, was wondering if anyone could lend some insight?

I don't know when you need to buy your system by, but hopefully the rMBP will be updated before you need to buy.

The updated rMBP should have the faster PCIe SSD that the Air has. Also there should be a slight battery life improvement on the rMBP. Nowhere near as dramatic as the Airs improvement, but anything helps. And of course improved graphics with the update.