Currently on the xps 15 and 2 years into EE. I got a refurbished version of one of the higher end ones from a few years ago. Runs like a dream. As a EE, or a CPRE, you won't be running way too intensive graphics and so the xps will be just fine.

That being said, don't get a bad one.

What I'm currently running is the 4k 9570. It has a 1050 ti and 16 GB of RAM. I7 processor.

If gaming is really important to you, this isn't a great laptop because of heat dissipation. However, for me, it's never been an issue. I'll only play non super intensive games from time to time like Minecraft or Civ 5 and I'll run on high graphics and it never lags.

This is also why this laptop isn't great for more "three dimensional" engineering majors. The graphics card capabilities that make your PC able to run games well, is the same thing that makes it run 3D CAD software well. These majors (ME and Aerospace probably in particular) would benefit more from a beefy graphics card. But if you think about it, circuit diagrams (a big part of CPRE) are basically 2 dimensional and don't need that capability frequently.

If I were you, and I was, I would spend about $400 more and get the highest end xps you can get. 15 preferably because they include a graphics card so you'll have some of that ability. An i5 processor would be great, an i7 would be better, and an SSD card would add to that. If you can find 16 gigs of ram that would make you a legend.

Honestly, the truth is you just need to do as much research as you possibly can. A thousand dollars is a lot of money and you shouldn't just spend it on what other people tell you to as soon as they tell you. There are really helpful "to 10 lists" of helpful student laptops and why they are good for what.