Answer:
Whether you and your child will be better served by a desktop or a laptop while in college depends on a few things. The first is what your budget is -- all other things being equal (monitor size, memory, video cards, software/hardware included, etc.), desktops are generally less expensive than laptops. So if you need to get the biggest bang for your buck, you'll be better served by a desktop. (Additionally, desktops are somewhat less likely to be damaged by things like falling into a pool or off the desk, etc., so they're less likely to need replacement.) If you have a little extra to spare, the next question is how portable your child needs his/her computer to be -- some areas of study are much more likely to require (or simply be made easier) by being able to have a laptop in class than other areas of study; this is something best discussed with your child (to determine likely courses of study), and perhaps also with a school adviser in the area(s) your child is interested in studying -- these people will have a good sense for how much of an advantage a laptop might be over a desktop for your child. Finally, if you're interested in considering this at all, is the aspect of social coolness/expectations of peers -- many students have laptops now, and desktops are becoming less common for people who only need average power out of their machine (IE, someone who programs might prefer a desktop because of the ability to get more power for less money, but someone who will use it primarily to access email and write papers won't need those extra features...), which is most students; therefore, having a desktop might seem antiquated to the other students.