If you can forgo color, I would just keep it simple and go with a black-and-white laser. For $150, the Brother HL-L2350DW is probably your best bet. It should get you through college pretty easily.

If you absolutely must have color, I would go with a no-frills, tank-based inkjet, such as the Canon PIXMA G1220, $99 on Amazon. Refill bottles are fairly cheap as well.