You also might want to check with the school to see if they are getting discounts from manufacturers... You might (or might not) end up with a better price going thru school than you will on your own.
Since you will be using it for class- you really want to look at battery life. Battery life on a new laptop is about 3 -4 hours with constant use (my 3 year old laptop averages about 45 minutes) You will probably want to get an extra battery that y ou keep charged (most laptops you can pop out the cd rom/dvd drive and put in an extra battery if you need it.
The stock changes almost on a daily basis... but check out
www.overstock.com -- their prices are usually pretty terrific, their shipping rates are usually $1.00 and it's quick shipping. SOme of t hier stock is factory reconditioned (which honestly isn't bad.. you still get a warranty on it - but it might have been an open box which a store can't sell as new)