I've had a Dell Inspiron 600m for about 4 years now and love it! I haven't had any problems with it (knock on wood) and it's gone with me for a semester in Australia and many classes. I spent a lot on it (close to 2k) but that has paid off because it still runs great and is able to handle newer versions of software that take up more resources, even 4 years later. I plan on keeping it for another two years through grad school, barring a meltdown or accident.
I would definitely recommend a laptop for incoming students. I went to UT and graduated in 2004 and even at that point, lots of professors were sending out class outlines through e-mail and posting powerpoint lessons online. So, for several classes, it was helpful to be able to bring my laptop that already had all of that stuff on it, rather than having to print everything out and shuffle through pages of printouts.
Also, whichever brand you go with, check to see if they have an educational discount. I know that Apple and Dell do and I think that in both cases, it equates to about a 10% discount. Also, check with her college's campus computing store to see if her college or department has any special arrangements with a particular computer maker. I know that a couple depts at UT have special arrangements that allow for an even bigger discount than the standard student discount. Also, UT has an arrangement with Microsoft that allows students to get the full MS Office suite for about $20. So, it's worth checking to see if there are any special deals to be had through the college before shelling out for a new comp or software.
