Low Budget College Freshman: Laptop or Chromebook?

[NearlyTragic]

So I've been scouring the internet looking for a laptop for college. I've looked at Chromebooks, and they seem to be a very lucrative option for the budget-bound people such as myself. I only plan on using the laptop for in-class, I have a desktop for more specific classwork (I'm going into game design.)
Because of my low budget (less than $400) I'm strongly considering a Chromebook. However, I wanted to get some feedback on the matter. Are the Chromebook's drawbacks (reliability on internet, restricted to web-based activities, becoming deeper entrenched in the Google overmind,) made up for by the ultra-low price tag? Or am I better off getting my hands on a lower tier/refurbished traditional laptop?

 

[Jeffs0418]

A windows laptop would probably be the better choice. I noticed a Core i3 4005U (Haswell) laptop on sale for $300 last week at Fry's. There are many similar deals to be found in the 300-400 range if you look. A budget of $400 allows for some more powerful and versatile machines than Chromebooks with limited versatility.
Got my husband an i3 (Ivy Bridge) laptop 3 years ago for $350 and it runs like a top with the 120Gb SSD I put in. Even the addition of a budget SSD tucks in under your budget.