look i hate to say this but apples 12" book is quite good. yes it does run on macs os but u already have a pc. they are light, protable and resonable priced. im not sure about the battery life but from what i can gather they are very good. but i am a pc fan
anything with a 15.4 inch monitor is not considered light and compact. if you are looking to save money look into the compaq 2000z. if you call and order and tell them you are going to college, they will give you another 50$ off. make sure you go with the turion though.