^ Amazing anxiousmom ^
I don't know any of my son's friends who opted for a desktop. Some went Mac others PC, but all went for laptops. I third or fourth buying through the school. We have the four year coverage as well.
Also, my son really relies on his flash drive. He said some of his friends never back up their work, but he does every night.
We got him a college logo flash drive on line. It probably costs a bit more than what you can get at the store, but we thought it was a pretty nifty graduation gift.
In case you're interested, here's the link to the one we bought:
http://www.memorysuppliers.com/collegedrives.html