Hey I'd totally recommend getting a desktop. I was in a similar predicament, the only problem is the size especially staying in halls, but computers are wayyyyy better than laptops. I built my computer, it cost me just over £800 I got i7, 8gig of ram, 3tb of memory and an awesome Amd graphics card, not sure which one it was R9 something. I got all the stuff I need from overclockers.
I'm know practically nothing about computers and I'm sure if I can build one anyone can!
But I'm so glad I didn't cop out and get a laptop.