$1500 notebook for college

My original plan was to just buy this year's 15" macbook pro, as I want a unix-based machine, but since it looks like the release date is being pushed further and further, I guess I'll just have to settle for loading linux onto a pc.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
$1500. it's pretty flexible though.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like:
b. Dislike: lenovo (i got one of the laptops with the rootkit. I will never buy from them ever again.)

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
no

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
programming, security tools(probably loading kali linux)

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
both, but in the dorm I might have a monitor setup with peripherals and just hook the laptop up there, who knows

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
league/overwatch/csgo/dota2. I'd be satisfied with 60 fps on minimum settings.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
~8

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
buying a notebook online is fine
11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Been a windows/mac user most of my life. But, I'm trying to force myself to use linux because it will be important in the future. I've used some Kali before and a little bit of ubuntu. I'll probably put ubuntu on there or something
Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. (Scroll down to see screen resolution information.) 1920x1080 minimum. anything higher is okay only if the rest of the package is appealing for the price

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? (Scroll down to see explanations.)
generally matte/non-glossy

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
I want it to be light/thin for convenience. Looks don't matter too much.

15) When are you buying this laptop?
within the next month

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
2-4 years
Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?
SSD only. 128 minimum, pref 256

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
no.

I need an ethernet port. Wi-fi is kill where I'm going.

I really wanted the new xps 15 at first. Everything about it seems great, but then I saw the ghosting issue. It's a pretty big turn off.

Please recommend me some laptops. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated. ^^

Edit: some other questions
Is buying a "developer's edition" laptop really worth it? What would be the difference between just buying a similarly specced laptop and loading ubuntu myself? The one advantage that I see ffrom some of the ones offered by Dell is that they have ideal specs for developers. But, the regular models can also just be customized to have the same specs anyways right?

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$1500 notebook for college