For Autocad , MATlab , and LabVIEW , like engineering softwares you are going to want a dedicated graphics card and at least a quad core . The XPS 13 is more of an ultrabook , and wouldnt provide the beef and longevity that youll need for 4 years of engineering studies . I would go with anything GTX 960 m and up , as well as i 5 quad core and up . The XPS 15 is a great laptop for this , the pricey new macbooks have decent specsbut you could get better for the same price , if you dont mind bulky rigs you could go with most gaming laptops on the market right now as well . The new 2016 Razor Blade is a good laptop too , with a touchscreen . I wouldnt get the touchscreen model on the xps 15 simply because it would force you to go 4 K which kills your batteryI have friends with that laptop who bring a charger to every class . Good luck in your decision , hope you become a great engineer .