Agree with onq - you need to get the requirements / recommendations on the course itself... Most laptops "do the job" for what is required for a student... specifics to do with software is when the costs go up...
The second link you sent on does do bundles, you can see the price jumping up...
Basically the laptop should have at least a dual core processor, 4Gigs of RAM, 350Gigs+ of harddisk, 15"+ screen size, wireless enabled, USB ports (at least 2), & a good battery life.. anything additional is a bonus... then add the software that you require on top of that... take a trip into some of the electrical shops, get an idea & spec of the machines & then take the details home to compare & contrast in your own time... if the sales reps get too technical, then tell them so... sometimes they speak a different language to help push the sale, so don't feel pressurized into making a purchase then & there...
It's a big initial cost... just another to add onto the growing costs of kids going to 3rd level education...