Thanks for your responses. I know there is no way the laptop will make it through med school. This will be our first laptop, and if I end up having to get her something different in the fall then that's okay. Either way, we will have to have two laptops by August. I think for our first venture into the laptop field, we will go with a Toshiba Satellite. Eventually, a Mac is going to find its way into our house but not right now.