Any input appreciated:

My Goal: Im trying to lose my fat and tone up.

I figure the first thing I need to start with is cardio. Yesterday I ran 3.6 miles on the ellyptical (in about 37 minutes and burned about 500 calories, kept my heart rate around 160ish). Im thinking doing this about 5x a week (maybe just do 30 minutes everyday so 3 miles) would help greatly, and from there, do weight lifting.

Am I right on this? What kinda results should I expect, etc. Im 5'9 approx 180lbs, dont know what an ideal weight is but im just looking to lose the gut. Im trying to watch what I eat, etc, but thats kinda tough for a college kid, haha. Biggest thing im cutting back on is excessive drinking (beer), I lost a few lbs over the summer just from not drinking. As of right now- ive basically cut drinking out besides the occasional beer at Wing night or out to eat.