Keep in mind that you are going to have a monster in size and weight. The tradeoff to having a high-end performance, desktop replacement is that you are going to want to leave it on the desktop more often than not. I opted for a heavier, higher-end Toshiba when I got my laptop. Its advertised weight is 7.9 pounds which doesn't sound like that much. But once you get it in its case with the power cord and such, you are working with more like 15 pounds.
A better option if you can swing it is to get a relatively simple, lightweight laptop for your actual work (you don't need much processing power for email and word processing). Then get a decent desktop that can play your games well. Run the numbers. Two computers might work better than one. Of course, this means that you will lose the ability to carry your games around with you, but you will get more work done, graduate sooner, and be able to afford better games with your new job.
