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First of all some basic facts:
1) Should last 4 years
2) Should be able to game very proficiently, but I'm no professional so it doesn't have to be impeccable
3) It should have a good enough battery life that I can bring it to class and take notes, etc
4) I can buy an external keyboard for long essays, so don't worry about that
5) Weight really isn't an issue, 8lbs is heavy for a laptop but light in general
6) Please be reasonable on pricing (and remember I will have to add software, lojack, etc), but I am willing to shell out good money for an excellent machine.
Here are the options I have right now:
A) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152266
Pros: very very very very good machine, excellent price for what it offers.
Cons: worried about battery life, will it last if I have to take it to a 9-10 class then 1230-2?
B) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246132
Pros: relatively cheap, strong laptop
Cons: 5400 rpm, nothing really special about it, 3.5 hr battery lfie is eh
C) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230111
Pros: pretty much everything about it? even has a 5.5 hr battery life?
Cons: GTX 460m instead of 560? No HD screen that big a deal? please detail them because it seems great for me but I don't want to make a bad decision
Obviously as of now I'm leaning towards C.
 
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This belongs in Tech Support. Ask a mod to move it.
In fact have you checked out the Tech Support Forum because they have are a huge resource fro this kind of thing.
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I support Probulous' comment. I very recently posted something like this and got very nice replies 
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I went with a Toshiba Satellite-- light, durable, and only $279
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I think you have high expectations if you want a laptop to last 4 years, but it's doable. Definitely dodge the 5400rpm, it won't last you 2 years. I am slightly biased towards Asus so out of the three, I'd choose Asus if I'm judging purely on specs-per-$. 8-cell battery isn't too bad and it should last about 3-4 hours of continuous use.
Only thing bothering me about the Asus is that it's 17.3", which kind of screams "desktop replacement" to me. It's really really hard to find a laptop for both gaming and taking notes. Do you really want to take notes on your laptop? 15.6" is the absolute MAXIMUM I'd go for. Want to game on a laptop? 14.1" is the MINIMUM I'd game on. So there you have it, my recommended range for your situation is between 14.1" and 15.6", which isn't too bad because majority of mid- and high- end laptops are in this range. I've seen grad students use 17" laptops but they generally either sit in their own office/lab, or have lectures in spacious new lecture rooms with good desks and lots of outlets so mobility / size isn't a huge issue for them.
Battery life is another thing. I'm not sure if you've scouted out your classes so far, but most large lecture halls do not have electric outlets for everybody - there might be like a couple on the wall in the edge seats. Tutorial rooms usually have enough outlets for 1/3 of the class. Good battery life is definitely a bonus, but usually comes with heavier weight. You say 8lb is light in general... well that won't be the case when you've just pulled an all-nighter, dragging yourself to the morning lecture with a coffee in one hand and all of your books+laptop in the bag in the other shoulder. HEAVY.
I used a 15.6" Dell Inspiron 1520 during my university years, for 4 years. Went through two batteries (the second one is about half-dead right now), both 9-cell, heavy as hell. I pretty much stopped bringing my laptop to class on long days. It runs SC2 (on minimum settings) smoothly and still is a decent laptop though.
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You can't honestly expect a useful laptop that is mobile, durable, has long battery life and can play games. How about forfeit gaming and focus on something more productive? It'll help on on the long run.
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Honestly I understand your criteria but my advice would be not to purchase a gaming laptop at all. I don't think a gaming laptop makes sense unless you travel alot. I did the same thing my freshman year of college and bought a sweet-ass gaming laptop. But because of the weight, heat, and short battery life I found myself leaving my laptop docked in my room most of the time and only taking it outside on special occasions.
In particular I didn't think that weight would be a problem, but it really made it much more of a hassle than I expected. 8 pounds doesn't sound like much, and it isn't, but stack on books, notebooks, power supply, and mouse and it really starts to add up. You can't replace real folders and notebooks with laptops because most teaching materials and assignments are still stuck on paper. And its really hard to study math on a computer because of typewriter constraints.
It also bit me in the ass when the laptop suffered hardware problems later that year. Its easy to swap out a dead component from a PC, but its impossible to salvage anything from a laptop.
Nowadays I use my ipad in class with a stylus. That works super good because its so light and portable, and it easily synchs up with my PC. It might be outside of your price range if you're looking for a portable gaming rig too but honestly you would use it in class much more than any laptop.
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Can you actually take handwritteen notes with your stylus?
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I was making the same decision 4 years ago when I was about to enter college. I wanted a gaming laptop so I could "do it all," and I paid a lot of money to have a decent gaming laptop. It is all fine and dandy until you realize that for half the price of the gaming laptop you could build the same gaming desktop. I ended up selling the gaming laptop and building a better gaming desktop for cheaper.
If I were you, I would build a gaming desktop and then use the extra money to buy a "work" laptop.
Unless you're rich then sure, get the 1500$ laptop with the 560m.
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if you are going to game regularly i think the best way is to go desktop+netbook. netbooks are super good for note taking cause they are small and light. and they are great to take to a group project meeting or something like that.
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During my lectures and studies in the library and around campus for 4 years, I have never seen anyone be productive with a laptop. 99% of the time they're not taking notes, doing their essay, or anything useful but playing games, checking email/facebook and otherwise unproductive activities. Backpack, notebook, textbook is all you need.
Might as well get a decent laptop so you can play Wow in the library.
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The only classes where my laptop in class has been useful were programming assignments for the convenience factor (not having to write the code in the lab computers and email it to myself later). It's also helpful for group projects when you meet somewhere. Otherwise, my laptop has never been productive during lectures. I'll bring my laptop in case I get bored out of my mind, but otherwise take notes with pen and paper (notebook).
With regards to battery life, do not expect to consistently get the "as advertised" life on any battery you buy. Expect to get 2-3 hours on most occasions, coming off a fully charged battery. I think you're being quite unrealistic with your battery life expectations ("3.5 hr battery life is eh").
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I like the netbook + Desktop idea. Laptops are very expensive compared to Desktops, and you can't easily upgrade them or anything like that. Netbooks are really light and portable, and they can do mostly everything you will want to do at lectures. Also if you lose your netbook or drop/damage it, it will be less of a loss.
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EPT
