well, i´d say, as you are a poor student, dont invest money, get to know *cough cough* warez, or deal with the demo versions first...
some suggestions what to check out:
sequencers:
Ableton Live
Fruity Loops
Synths:
Vanguard (leads and pads)
and a bassline synth like muon tau, phoscyon, vb-1 or audiorealism bassline
drumatic (free)
you can download kjaerhus audio classic series plugin pack for free on their website, which is a good collection of effects...
i think this would be a good start then.
ableton live has a great interactive in build tutorial, i think its even available in demo version... check it out as a insight.
fruity comes with a getting started guide.. which is a bit harder to understand..
read reviews on which sequencer to choose, then check out demo.