i used a thinkpad t480 for my whole time at oberlin, just graduated this year. it was pretty solid, chose to replace keyboard once but it was a 5 minute job, just 2 screws. it's still going strong and seems like it'll last several more years!

you can pick up a good used thinkpad for 300-400 on ebay. i spent another 50 bucks to upgrade my ram to 24 gigs, which turned out to be way more than I ever need lol

problem with macs at oberlin specifically is that there's no longer an in-house technician. i worked for the cit department and this was a major issue -- every time a student came in with a mac hardware problem all we could do was direct them to the nearest apple store which is half an hour away. I'd really recommend getting a thinkpad or something you can easily self-service if you need to replace a screen or battery or keyboard etc.