Currently, there are many college sales going on. I got my HP laptop (after having the same laptop for 8 years and ruining it due to online schooling etc) for $257 with rebates + a warranty included.

I would avoid Dells, especially if you're using this for schooling. The battery lives tend to be awful (from what I've seen on my moms) and they tend to crash quite a bit.

HP and Toshiba are always good choices.