Apple - MacBook Air 13.6" Laptop - M2 chip Built for Apple Intelligence - 8GB Memory - 512GB SSD - Starlight - Open Box - Fair

Absolutely it is! Apple is using a different supplier for the 256GB SSD and that drive is much slower so it drags down overall system performance. You’ll likely have the computer for many years so having the extra speed will really make a difference. And you may really appreciate having the extra storage capacity in the future too!

It would really depend on what the use-case is - if you are going to school for production-heavy workloads, such as film production or music production, this will be a good start - the primary limitation will end up being the number of screens you can connect (currently, you can only connect one additional display natively although there are some work-around solutions online) If you are not into deeply intense AI programming or professional level production work, this is a great machine. If you need more - a pro level device (MacBook Pro or even a Mac Studio) may be what you want to look into.

Why would they get a discount…

I have purchased several computers and laptops in the past, and have received my $100 college discount at Best Buy. Have they done away with that?

No, you need to buy a printer for that.