@Laura Thorne  When I was in school, my professor ,who was a practicing architect told me" if a client isn't willing to talk about budget up front, you should end the conversation shortly thereafter."

The only thing that would make it fancier is a III at the end...hmm, wonder if his dad was ever stranded on a dessert island with his mom, the Skipper, A movie star, a professor Maryann and Gilligan?

There is some great information about bridge loans on The Mortgage Professor's site.

I have talked to others (professors, family friends, etc.) who have gone down the student housing road and I have gotten a lot of good advice, although I don't know when/how I should begin?

The only issue I have is that Professor Siedel looks very similar to the president of my HOA; and I am not a fan!

I would challenge any professor atan ivy league school to step in next month and manage your portfolio and lets see how it goes. 

Throughout my studies I kept hearing this nightmare stories from professors and professional architects about the headache that is working with clients.

I have nurses, an MIT professor who left Boston due to high rent and covid related issues, a teacher, and even a textiles engineer to give you an idea of the type of individuals that this area attracts.

Who are the professors you recommend (again, these have to be experienced real estate investors who are BP members)?

A professor of mine in college used to encourage me to use thinly-capitalized LLCs to mitigate any loss from a lawsuit.