Let me tell you a story, OP. Fourth year uni student here.
In my first year I figured I wouldn't be using my laptop for a huge amount, so decided to just go with a comparatively cheap Acer laptop. It lasted about a year and a half before it started having huge issues, so I needed to replace it. So, second year, and I have a new laptop already. Just over a year later, that one starts having issues too, so I have to buy a third, and now that's having issues too.
So, that's 3 laptops in basically as many years, costing about £1700 in total. With that kind of money I could've bought a MBP and 3 year applecare, and still had about £800 left over. If you can afford it, I really don't recommend cheaping out. You could always consider the regular MacBook though - it's cheaper and still more than capable enough for your needs.