The only reason foreclosure held off was because she filed for bankruptcy. 

I've had my current job for 2 1/2 yrs making 75K per year and have a clean background but before I had my current job I was unemployed for a while and ended up filing for bankruptcy causing my credit to take a huge nose dive (sub 500 range). my Question is: to avoid the credit requirement (I wouldn't be able to find a co-signer) would I be able to put an entire lease down as a security deposit and pay my rent as usual so long as my income qualified?

Even without that the bankruptcy would be problematic.

As soon as we were approved for eviction they tenants filed for bankruptcy. 

February 1st I was let go from my job and my advisor told me it might be a good idea to file bankruptcy for my past taxes.

Also, a bankruptcy is a legal proceeding.

May this year will make a year of me filing bankruptcy chapter 13.

People will suffer and die, jobs will be lost, bankruptcy and foreclosures rife, supply chains disrupted.

Besides a firm education on real estate basics, I would suggest becoming an expert in a niche, whether that niche being a neighborhood, property type, or functional area like probate, bankruptcy, etc.

She hit one road bump with a lot of bad tenants at the same time and ended up filing for bankruptcy.