Netbooks are a dime a dozen these days, and this back-to-school season all of the major notebook manufacturers will be targeting their systems at students of all ages. But what makes a netbook student friendly?

If you’re a student buying a netbook, we assume that you don’t need the most powerful hardware. The standard netbook configuration, which includes an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP, will do the trick for taking notes and basic online research. Most students will need at least 160GB of hard drive space for storing documents and multimedia. Other criteria? Digging around for an outlet in a classroom or library can be tiring, which is why we recommend only netbooks with more than five hours of battery life. And lastly, because students can be tough on their school supplies, their chosen netbook must be able to withstand a few bumps.

Check out our top student netbook picks below.