Mac Forums

So i am heading off to university this year to study medical science and International studies. I need to purchase a new laptop but i cannot decide between a toshiba satellite pro or a mac book pro. I need something lightweight with a long battery life for lectures. I also want it to be fast and have a decent amount of ram and a good hard drive. I would also like to know whether i will have problems with formatting if i am submitting assignments electronically with the mac. Does anyone have experience with these two laptops, have knowledge about them or know of an even better laptop to pick??

As i am a student so price will also be a small issue but i don't mind spending around $1200.