To be honest apple isn’t stupid they didn’t make a very expensive laptop that won’t their applications. You might find trouble with 3rd party apps, but even then it’s multi tasking that will be the issue.
From reviews I’ve seen the 8gb is probably enough for most use cases and from the sound of it you aren’t going heavy load at this stage. Also as a student you have that most valuable resource - time. If things take longer or you can only do one thing at a time, so be it!
Enjoy your new machine and stop looking at reviews or opinions on base M3 and 8 Gb.
To be honest apple isn’t stupid they didn’t make a very expensive laptop that won’t their applications. You might find trouble with 3rd party apps, but even then it’s multi tasking that will be the issue. From reviews I’ve seen the 8gb is probably enough for most use cases and from the sound of it you aren’t going heavy load at this stage. Also as a student you have that most valuable resource - time. If things take longer or you can only do one thing at a time, so be it! Enjoy your new machine and stop looking at reviews or opinions on base M3 and 8 Gb.