Nekoracing, I'm in sort of a similar situation with you... heheh..
If all goes well (read: foundation results

) ,I'm gonna start studying in Aussie February next year... I'm contemplating between a macbook or macbook pro... The thing is, I like the small size of the macbook, but it doesn't have a dedicated graphics card... Whatever it is, I'm gonna wait until leopard is released before i buy anything... I don't actually need the notebook immediately.... By that time vista would also be out and tested in the market.. I still need windows for certain applications, so if the MB is capable of running it, most probably I'll just get a MB with 2gb memory...
The only thing stopping me from choosing the MBP is the size.... Currently i'm using a 15.4" Acer and I don't think its portable enough to bring back and forth to classes...Even though the probability of Apple coming up with a 13inch or smaller macbook pro is slim, I'm still clinging on to the hopes that they will do so, as indicated by this recent
rumour... heheh...
As for the warranty issues, you don't need to worry bcoz Apple products are covered by worlwide warranty... It would be advisable to add in Applecare so your notebook would be covered throughout your period of studies.... For the prices, I've been doing some comparisons and the price difference isn't really that much if you get the education discount in Australia:

Exchange rates change daily, so the prices will differ... I don't mind buying it where, but I'm waiting for leopard (and hopefully the smaller sized MBP).. If it is released before i depart for oz, then i'll buy it here... If not, I'll just buy it there...
The timing all depends on when you actually need the laptop... If you need it now, buy it now... You might also wanna check out the
Mac Buyer's Guide..
Hope this helps...

edit: oops... waiting for leopard.. mixed up already.. hahah.. thanks tinkerbel for the heads up...
This post has been edited by lailaikatong: Dec 6 2006, 04:33 PM