Once we hit junior year and started leaving the dorms, we had established ourselves well enough in our college town that we weren't going home for the whole summer anyways.

How would I go about finding a mentor in the industry?

Might be a good opportunity to be mentored by someone you can learn from.

On the one hand, the mentor courses / boot camps / common advice (including many here on BP) is to just set up an LLC but when I've discussed it with professionals, they argue against it.

Leave feedback here and other places and help me get the word out that in am looking for private investors and mentors to get this ball rolling.

Bob  thats not correct Mike was self promoting for years before he even got a partner.but the OP if he wish's Mike only charges 15k to be mentored how to do a sub to in what he believes is the correct or safest way..

Networking is crucial to success in real estate investing and joining a group like this would give you access to mentors, realtors, financers, ect.

Tax sales just wipe out junior encumbrances, they do not guarantee clean title.  

I told them that I have not heard of one coaching program that actually uses a mentoring/apprenticeship model. 

@Jeffrey Smith, @Maham Javed, I am a property manager, I am happy to mentor you all to get started.