This is a great place to get your questions answered.

Does anyone have general thoughts on this strategy? 

In this game, sticking to one property type is your fastest path to mastery.

Nothing more, Nothing less!

That was a learning experience.  

In fact they are probably using more labor hours.

@Scott LorenceThe advantages to renting to college students are that they generally leave after a few years so you can do repairs or updates, you can raise rents on a regular schedule, they will pay a premium to be near campus, and if you get engineering students they tend to fix the small stuff on their own.

First time on this forum, and just introduced through two books I just read by David Greene and Brandon Turner.  

Can you explain a little bit more as to why you are not impressed with it?

I'm just a simple yokel from the backwoods of Alabama reading about how you guys are doing things and trying to learn by doing. :)