I would take his advice. I'm not kidding you, I haven't met you but I would actually talk face to face about it.
There's one thing you left out, though, FMR.
I'm not saying anything you've said is not true (as it is certainly so with so many schools!) but it's also all about the student.
I have an awful feeling these schools recieve a bad rep because idiot students who didnt learn anything but were passed actually made it to good companies; and were fired. What about the smart students?
I try to see myself as an aspiring student who studies outside of class (which isn't hard, it's all creativity and fun!) and I think a good portfolio can save the interview.
As for your next choice of laptop, everyone's certainly got you covered Ninja!
I will say though, the scenes I've built and rendered do not take long to render, do not lag, etc. I'm running an old Radeon 9000 64MB card.
I imagine the Athlon Barton 3000 and 512MB of ram more than assist it, though
Good luck finding your choice! (Go with Sigma's!!)
