I'm not really into computers or their specs, I just use them, and know what I need them to do, but, I do have some advice on the subject.
Anything built for gaming, would be an excellent choice, as it provides fast processor, excellent graphics card, and sometimes most importantly, the ability to be run (especially if only using it for graphics, net access etc etc) near 24/7 with no fear of overheating. If desk top publishing (I love that old skool term) is not going to be a crucial aspect of your daughter's course, then the ability to use the computer for graphics is not such a key priority, so neither is screen size. If it might be, then she is going to need a decent screen to be working on. I haven't yet used a laptop which had a suitable screen for actual graphics work (quick photoshop tweaks, maybe, but certainly not for projects running into several hours) my current monitor is 22ins across the diagonal... Windows7 is an awesome package, and very versatile, certainly the best windows OS I've used since Windows 98 (I hated 2000, XP and barely tolerated Vista) I've been running a downloaded version, which recently, suffered the black screen of death, and a "You might be using counterfeit software" message, but, not only did the OS continue to function (albeit with a black desktop) but the online treatments solved the problem, and it is back running at full capacity as usual I hope those bits might be of help