Macbook or DSLR camera?

I can only get one for my birthday next month. I have to put in money for it, too. I have a job so that's not a problem, but I'm not sure which to get.

My friend has a MacBook and I enjoy messing with it, but I'm not sure if MacBooks are really worth the price… I was looking at a 13-inch MacBook Air and it's $1200! That just seems like a lot of money to me. I'm going off to college in about a year, so it'd definitely be convenient for writing essays and researching my senior year and then into college.

The DSLR camera I'm looking at is $725 (with a 32gb memory card included).It is a Nikon. I really enjoy photography, and only have a 5-year-old Fujifilm point-and-shoot. I feel as though the camera would be a great investment although maybe not so much as the MacBook. I would have to put in less money for the camera.

What is your opinion? Should I put money in for the camera, or for the MacBook?

Wow, I'm waiting this awesome answer.

Which would be of more use to you moving forward. What course are you taking in college, does it require you to take any computer courses, if so, a MAC is not what most college courses use.