I would lean toward a netbook IF she can find one that has a cd player. She may need to load cds onto it (or an external hard drive - very affordable) for classes. I use my computer for reading ebooks, and she can load them onto the netbook from many sites, including mobipocket.com. If it cannot use cds, she needs to find a computer lab that will let her transer cds to her netbook or a thumbdrive/memory card/external hard drive. It shouldn't be difficult to do that, but it might be a hassle.
Many textbooks have cds with tutorials, study guides, etc..., so it is important to think about this.
I would think an ipad would be difficult to create reports on, unless she can get a keyboard that is compatible. Keyboards seem pretty cheap now, and some even roll up for easier transport. You can also get virtual keyboards that a gizmo projects onto any flat surface. There was a CSI Miami where a secretary used a virtual keyboard to send messages on a site that all the employees used.
