Thanks so much again for the in-depth response. And for all of the great suggestions.

Now for the info: It's not in offline mode, I can connect to wi-fi perfectly at my house, friend's house, etc. I have asked peers around me in nearly every building (including where freshmen orientation was held) and they all had full strength campus wi-fi where my n900 showed nothing.

As for the power saving mode thing, I will try that tomorrow and report my findings. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to start uninstalling things, huh? It doesn't look like I have much choice.