I haven't read all the posts yet but I have an IBM Thinkpad and it's just a little workhorse. One of the problems people have with laptops is over-heating but this one never does. It does tend to get warmer if I watch movies or something like that, but just for normal use, it can be on and in use for most of a 24 hour period and never get more than warm. I really am impressed. My son told me it's because these are designed for business use so they need to stand up to lots of use. I think this would be excellent for a college student.

Ooops, I see she got one already. Oh well, maybe this information will be helpful for her for a future laptop.