[stomachmonkey]

That 1st box you spec'd will probably chew through a freshly charged battery before it finishes booting.

Any of those apps you listed will hum along fine on 16GB of ram, 32'd be better, you don't need 64 or more.

The only things you should be focusing on are CPU, GPU and usability.

How much of his work will be split between classroom and his dorm room?

Get him a kitted out Surface Pro for class and a desktop for the dorm.

You'll spend the same coin and he'll be happier and more productive.