Ignore the University.
iMacs do everything PCs do only better and without all the protection programs which eventually fail.
This is not a knock on Macs but solely to nip a misaimed dig. I like Macs, have tried a Mac, had to return it because it would not run the technical software that was mandatory for me.
There is quite a bit of technical software used for number crunching that can only run at high speed, if at all, under Windows. In some cases, the math coprocessor in the video card is used in addition to the CPU processors. The software is optimized for Windows + Intel/AMD and that's it.
Back to the OP’s question though. I've been using and abusing PCs continuously since the late 1970s. Actually this was a bit before the word “personal computer” was coined. LOL.... My favorite brands are Hewlett-Packard and Dell. Corporate IT would probably recommend Dell as their business support is top notch. While Dell is solid quality, my experience is that HP gives better performance when pushed to its maximum, is rock solid in construction and has excellent tech support should problems crop up.
HP has some “gaming” oriented laptops that are a good value and won't break the bank. No matter what brand you end up going with, get the manufacture's extended warranty plan for multi-years and be sure it has USA based tech support and not some overseas crap.