rckclmbr said:
ok here is an oposing point of veiw to all of the above. I had a grand to spend on a computer 3 years ago. I could get anything i wanted as long as it was $1000 or less. I went with the desktop for the preformance compared to price part. And today it is still comparable to some of the top computers that they are putting out now. 768 RAM, Pent 4, 2.6 ghz, 256mb graphics card. Yes a laptop would be nice but i know how ADD i am and if i had one in class i would sit on this site all day instead of attempting to pay attention to class.
It also depends on what the comp you have at the moment has on it. I wouldn't reccomend it for dorm/college use unless it is running 512 ram just cause this thing is going to turn into your alarm clock/ radio/ jukebox/ calculator/ dvd player/ workstation/ internet portal/ gaming/ shopping/ and god knows whatelse. And most of the time you will be using it to do numerous things at once. so speed is def an issue. it also might matter what OS you are running. I know the network at my school required everyone to have XP. Which was stupid but the conviently sold over priced copies in the book store.
Just my .02 cents.
I'll give you the last bit - since I'm 34, married, and live off-campus in a regular home, I don't need my computer to do quite as much (I've got a desktop that I built that does all my "heavy lifting."
Also, I can see a school requiring all their machines to run a specific OS (and damned if DAC didn't go and upgrade to XP all over...) but there's no reason for them to control the OS on privately-owned machines as well. Besides, if it comes down to needing it for wireless access, there's always Barnes & Noble, McDonald's, and myriad other outfits doing free wireless anyhow - probably within a couple minutes' walk of campus. I don't recall the URL, but there's at least one WiFi hotspot index online (keyed by airport service area, ZIP code, and other ways to nail your location down...) and most companies will advertise it anyhow.
I'd still suggest a portable - mainly for the portability. Unless you're into engineering or graphic arts, and plan to do a boatload of 3D rendering, you're mainly going to use MSOffice and maybe some software development suites (I also run Visual C/C++ and Codewarrior for PalmOS,) which are more memory-intensive than anything else, and don't need a lot of processor. Most computer makers will offer a RAM upsell for a reasonable price - when I got my T30, it would come with 128Mb, but I got 1Gb RAM for about $50 extra (and it would probably be less now.)
Brands? I do like IBM, but I've also used Sony, Panasonic Toughbook, and Toshiba with good results. Dell, I woudn't bother with - and Compaqs would be worth more as scrap metal, even after the merger with HP. A proper HP isn't bad - but they've probably been infected due to the Compaq merger, and I wouldn't bother anymore.
I do find Sony to be a bit spendy - but only slightly inflated due to the featureset, I think. Panasonic (I had a CF-41 Mk II) makes a fairly rugged machine - but the "Toughbook" is about two generations behind on hardware - they're almost bombproof, but use "tried and proven" rather than "cutting edge" - you're paying for toughness and reliability.
I would suggest getting something that has a "Drive Bay" (like the UltraBay on ThinkPads) - which will allow you to swap drives. My T30 has an UltraBay - and I've got a DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, ZIP250, FDD, and spare battery that all fit in there (one at a time, natch - I don't mind weight, but I leave all the permanently-installed stuff in the desktop...) The battery lives in the machine - everything else is on the shelf next to my desk.
A "thumb drive" (sometimes referred to also as a "jump drive,") is a good idea whether you get a computer or not - you can do your work on campus machines, and save it to the thumb - and get into it later. It also allows you to move data/files from machine to machine, and allows larger/more files than just emailing them to yourself. I have several, as well as PCMCIA memory card adapters (since I get files on various media, I find it useful to be able to read pretty much anything...)
Speed may be at issue, but unless you're doing heavy 3D rendering or something, anything over 1GHz is going to be just ducky - just load up on RAM, since that's what causes the bottleneck with multitasking anyhow. Second is to load up on HDD - Windows likes to use a section of HDD as "extended RAM" (W calls it the "swap file - and it's usually 5-7% of the total drive,) so the more of that you can come up with, the better.
I'd suggest something that runs at least 1GHz (should be no trouble at all...) 512Mb RAM or greater, and at least 60Gb HDD (which should be no trouble - I bought one for my T30 for a reasonable price.) Also, make sure it uses standard goodies like HDD and RAM - if you want/need to upgrade later, it's easier to do (and cheaper!) if you can get standard goodies. IBM was always nice about that - Compaq was NOT.
Peripherals? I'd go with...
1S1P port (you may or may not need the serial - you'll want the printer!)
Inbuilt MODEM
Inbuilt LAN (saves carrying dongles around...)
You can get 802.11x inbuilt or in PCMCIA or DONGLE - I prefer to have it something attachable, so I can go "off the grid" if I feel the need to.
VGA port or port replicator (so you can get a monitor for home. A "port replicator" will duplicate pretty much all the ports on the back of the machine, and you can hook them up/unhook them all at once. You tell me which is more convenient, and I'll tell you how many port replicators I run at home...)
Inbuilt USB - two ports or better, if you can get it. Your port replicator would probably either have a single port (get a hub!) or an inbuilt hub - depends on what you get. Also - some port replicators (Targus comes to mind) are "universal" and connect via a USB port. I am not sure about the functionality of these - I haven't used them, and am therefore unqualified to comment.
Keyboard &/or mouse port - these will probably be for PS/2 (Mini-DIN 6) You can carry a mouse or trackball around in your bag if you don't like the inbuilt pointing device.
Highly suggested -
A "pocket HDD" with at least enough space to hold all your useful data and then some - 20Gb would probably be a minimum.
A "number pad" if you plan to do a lot of numerical data, calculation, or entry. Get proficient in 10-key - it will pay off later...
A good external keyboard - use at your desk. Some laptop keyboards are quite nice, but if you're a hamfisted operator (like me!) you'll want a little more space...
A decent monitor - LCD or CRT. For your desk - laptop displays have come a LONG way, but it's still nice to look at something fairly large that you can mount where you want and move at will. Standalone LCD's have come down significantly - I've got a pair of ViewSonic 17" displays that I picked up for $10/inch. A good guideline is $10-15/inch for a display - anything less will probably be crap, anything more will probably be overkill. Sometimes, good brands will be on sale - watch for them! I'd go ViewSonic, NEC, and most of the better-known goodies.
A good desk and chair. Believe me, you'll spend a LOT of time sitting there - might as well be able to work comfortably! How you sit at your desk shows in your quality of work that you turn in - believe me. Having done numerous "peer review" exercises, I have been able to read other students' papers and tell whether their desk fits them or not...
5-90
between classes. 
