Is this a good laptop for what I need?

I'm going to be heading back to school in a few weeks and I need a new laptop. I'm out of the loop in terms of what laptop features are good value now days. I don't really want anything special; I'm simply looking for a good set of features for the price. I've found the following model:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9353353&type=product&id=1218090329155

And would appreciate your feedback on it. Here are my answers to the sticky so you know what I'm looking for. (By the way, I realize this dell laptop is a little bigger than I'd like, but I'm throwing these preferences out there to see if you guys have a getter suggestion).

1_What is your budget?
Around $600

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Something along the middle. I will probably have to carry this laptop long distances, so I'd like it to be small and light. But I don't want a very small screen either. (Around 13"?).

3_What screen resolution do you want?
I don't really care.

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable. The lighter the better.

5_How much battery life do you need?
3+ hours.

6_Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
I'm not looking for a good gaming laptop. If it can play slightly old games at low settings I'be happy, but this isn't a deciding factor.

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing, surfing the web, playing music, watching movies, Etc.)
I usually listen to music and watch shows online. I'll most likely have to do some programming for school.

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?
300 or more.

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.
Newegg or Best Buy, but it's not a requirement.

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
At least 3 years.

11_If you would like to mention some other things about purchasing your ideal laptop, post them.
I'd rather it be robust and not give me problems rather than have a bunch of fancy features.

12_Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I like Toshiba since I've had good experiences with them, but I'll try other brands (like Dell) if they are recommended.
I'd like to stay away from Sony. From what I've seen they tend to be overpriced.

13_What country do you live in?
USA

Thanks!

Thank you for replying. I like your suggestion, though I'm not sure if I need a discrete graphics card. Would that lower the battery life of the computer?

If you really don't need it to play games, then the one you linked will probably be fine. The Intel HD4500 just isn't meant to play games.