I work in a PC based business and always buy PC laptops for myself but for kids at school nothing beats the Apple laptops. They have a nice strong aluminum case - strong around the plug ports, too. Physically smaller is a real advantage in a backpack as it's not as subject to twisting. The wide PC type plastic laptops get cracked in a backpack - they are much wider than the books they ride with. Both my kids cracked and broke plastic laptops in high school. My son did 4 years of college on one Apple laptop from 2012 which my wife has now. My daughter did two years high school, 4 years college + 2 more years still going on one 2014 Apple Laptop too.
In college I got my son an IPad to act along with the laptop as a textbook. He was able to buy online textbooks cheaper. I also gave him an extra monitor to use in his dorm room - he was a business major. My daughter went 4 years of fine art , I gave her a LaCie external hard drive, it has an orange rubber shock case molded around it - it's been rugged and lasted her 6 years so far. I also hear that Apple started putting regular USB and other ports into their laptops again. The magnetic power power plug connector is great if you can get it, it breaks free under strain.