As usual the half truth & folk lore about the PA38 quickly appears!
At your stage of flying the PA38 is a very good trainer, I could name a number of better aircraft all at a price far above the PA38 and a glass C172 would not be one of them.
Stay with the PA38 untill you have your PPL it will be cheaper, as for all this bull about glass cockpits, if you can fly the clockwork aircraft then glass will be a piece of Cake (the B737-800 IR renewal is easy its the PA34 that makes me work!)