D90 camera or something else?

I will start college in the fall for photography and I need a digital dslr camera to start with. I have no experience with canon or nikon. I do have a Sony dslr, but I wanna upgrade for school and something that will last me longer in school and also in my career. I really liked the Nikon D90, but seeing the price makes me wonder if it's really worth it… & i love a camera that has a good video quality because I would like to do mini clips or videos in later on in my career. My budget is $1, 500 but my dad says I don't need an expensive camera to be successful any suggestions please?

I like the D90, I think it's a good camera going at insanely low prices at the moment. But, if you want video, look elsewhere.
You don't need an expensive camera, you would like certain features and they are either clumsy or missing on the entry level models.

While the D90 is an amazing camera, its replacement, the Nikon D7000 is a whole lot better (newer technology, don't you know) and it is still within your budget

Here is a sample video shot with the D7000

What can you do with the D90 that you can't with your Sony? If you can answer that truthfully, you can make the right decision. Father knows best.

http://keerok-photography.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-is-best-dslr.html

If you want video, It is difficult to find better than the Canon 60D within your budget. It also will be a bit newer though similar quality to the Nikon D90 with some added features. The D90 does have a little better build quality though with some whether sealing and a magnesium chassis. The lens will make more of a difference than the body in terms of quality so your dad is partially right. You don't need an expensive camera but you will need a decent lens. Skip out on the D90 if you want video though and look for either the Nikon D5100 (more consumer grade), Nikon D7000 (prosumer grade and very nice), or the Canon 60D (prosumer). Those will all keep you under your budget though the D7000 may be close with a decent lens (normally the kit lenses are not that great so look for a nice 50mm f/1.4 or something along those lines for the best results).