Mac Forums

I'm going to be going to college in the fall, and I really need to start looking for a laptop. I know the whole "Mac vs. PC" debate has been going on forever, but between the Dell XPS 14 and 13" MacBook Pro, I don't know which one to get. I'd be able to get $100 off from an education discount for the MacBook ($1,099) and the Dell is originally $1,089, but is being offered for $999 (I don't know for how long, though). It's not much of a price difference, as you can tell, so that's not what's holding me back.
A lot of people are telling me that Macs aren't worth it (besides my boyfriend, who is ridiculously pro-Apple), but I also haven't heard great things about Dell. My family has had a Dell desktop for at least six years now and it seems to be going strong, though it is quite slow.
I do like the fact that the Dell XPS has Intel Core i5 and regular Windows, but I have also heard that you can install Windows on a Mac.
My boyfriend has the 13" MacBook Pro and even though it only has Intel Core 2 Duo, he says that that's all I'll really need, seeing as all I'll be doing on my computer is writing papers, surfing the internet, Skype, and iTunes.
Another concern of mine is a printer. I need to get a nice, cheap printer for college as well and I have absolutely no idea where to start with that. I have heard that Apple usually does an education thing in the summer where if you buy a Mac, you get an iPod or a printer for free. That's another thing that's really holding me back from choosing.

So, my questions are:
1. Dell XPS 14 or 13" MacBook Pro, using all of the information above?
2. Printer?

I will choose the best answer!
Thank you!