Lenovo L420 vs. Dell E5420?

I am looking for a laptop as I head off to college(engineering major). I need a laptop that is quite durable and reliable as I do not want it breaking during the school year. The importance on reliability has brought me more towards business laptops than your typical consumer models. My budget is around $750. I can build both models listed above with decent specs and they both cost about the same. From what I have read online, Thinkpads seem to be the most reliable but the Latitude also seem to be built quite sturdy and are much more pleasing to the eye. Can anyone give me personal experiences with either laptop as to build quality and long term reliability compared to each other. I am also open to other brands and suggestions as I relatively unfamiliar with the laptop market in general. Thanks in advance.