Laptop buying advice forum: BEST COLLEGE LAPTOP FOR ME?

Hello,

I am new to this forum and i am currently in the market for a new laptop. I have done plenty of research and have visited best buy and spoken to their employees working in the laptop department many many times.

I am starting college next year and i need a powerful laptop that will last at least three years. I am putting extra care in this purchase because my first laptop (Dell inspiron 1546 with AMD vision premium) only lasted two years and is full of issues.

FEATURES I WOULD LIKE:
-Intel core i7 quad core (is i5 and/or dual core that big of a difference? the best buy guy told me i7 quad is best for my situation)
-14"-15.6" no more no less
-id prefer a full HD screen (1980 x 1080) but im finding it very hard to find, i usually see 1366 x 768
-a graphics card would be nice but not really a deal breaker.
-under 5.2 lbs
-high quality hardware
- 1 TB hard drive space (750GB at least)
- 6-8 GB RAM preferably 8 or more
-IM NOT SURE IF PROCESSOR SPEED IS THAT IMPORTANT (2.2GH, 2.3, 2.6, ETC) so idk about that aspect.
-backlit keyboard
-optical drive built in preferably (IF YOU WOULD RECOMMEND ME AN ULTRABOOK I WOULD NOT MIND, AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THEY WOULD SERVE ME BETTER ID LOVE TO HEAR)
-battery life of over 6 hours
-i want a premium level laptop, something well built and powerful. I want to avoid entry level entirely because this laptop has to last long
-IM ALSO CONSIDERING TOUCH SCREEN LAPTOPS. THE BEST BUY GUY ADVISED ME NOT TO GET ONE BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE AND BREAK EASILY, BUT I FIND EM TOO COOL TO BELIEVE HIM
BUDGET: 1200$

I KNOW THESE FEATURES ALL TOGETHER ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE IN ONE LAPTOP BUT IM LOOKING FOR THE MACHINE THAT HAS THE MOST OF THESE. I am going into medicine (sciences) but i will also need some video editing capabilities for elective courses. The laptop has to be super powerful and able to take on tons of multitasking for a good amount of time. Also it has to be light enough to carry every day. INTELS RAPID BOOT (RAPID START) TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE GREAT TOO (but i hear thats only in ultrabooks). Touchscreen would be super cool only if it doesnt bring any considerable cons and meets most of the requirements i stated above (intel core i7 quad is necessary but if anyone believes that i5 is fine too id love to hear)

I am not considering mac because they are very expensive but many many students (90%) have one at the school i am planning to go to. Are they better than a pc and are they worth it? because if they are i will save a bit more and make the better purchase.

Should i look into ultrabooks?

ALSO, should i buy a laptop now (in the next month or two) or wait for new releases in spring 2013. Any upcoming machines that are worth waiting for?

What laptop brands are the best? I hear asian brands such as asus and acer are excellent but i still have my doubts. I really like HP but i have heard mixed things about them. How about lenovo, sony, apple, dell, toshiba, samsung, etc??? Which is best recomended for quality?
THESE ARE THE TWO MAIN MACHINES I HAVE MY EYE ON SO FAR, HOW DO THEY STACK UP AGAINST EACH OTHER, OTHERS AND AGAINST THE MACBOOK PRO:

-HP PAVILION M6: (950$)
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-m6-15-6-laptop-silver-intel-core-i7-3632qm-1tb-hdd-8gb-ram-windows-8-m6-1158ca/10225638.aspx?path=a4ad61c27c421c9435b65fd482a1db96en02

-ASUS R500a: (730$)
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/asus-asus-r-series-r500a-15-6-laptop-mocha-intel-core-i7-3630qm-750gb-hdd-8gb-ram-windows-8-r500a-bh71-cb/10227302.aspx?path=c7a35163867642a3450bd69ca2964ca7en02

when i spoke to the employee at best buy, he strongly recomended the ASUS R series R500a over the HP, because he says i will virtually get the same performance for less and he also mentioned that HP are really overpriced and not that good. However I am not sure about the ASUS because:
A) they are an asian company (ive only owned american computers so idk)
B) it was mostly plastic and looked quite cheap while the HP looks wayyyy better.
C) doesnt have some bells and whistles that the HP has, such as brushed aluminum finish, backlit keyboard, fingerprint scan, graphics card, beats audio, also the HP has 1TB while it has 750 GB
D) Much less battery life than HP

BUT I HAVE HEARD GREAT REVIEWS ABOUT IT. IS IT BETTER THAN THE HP?
Also, if HP is bringing back its envy line (14,15, 17) anytime soon id wait because i hear they were phenomenal computers.

I MUST APOLOGIZE THIS IS VERY LONG AND I HAVE MANY QUESTIONS. I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP. I NEED TO MAKE THE BEST PURCHASE POSSIBLE TO AVOID ANOTHER INCIDENT LIKE MY DELL. IF YOU KNOW ANY OTHER MODELS THAT YOU RECOMMEND ID GLADLY LOOK INTO THEM. ALSO IF YOU RECOMMEND MAC ID LOVE TO HEAR IT. EVEN IF YOU RECOMMEND WAITING FOR LATER ON IN 2013 I WOULD GLADLY ACCEPT YOUR REASONING. I AM SUPER GRATEFUL FOR ANY INFO, OPINION, RECOMENDATION I GET FROM YOU GUYS!

THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH