I want to begin my real estate journey as soon as I get out of school.

I went to school for civil engineering.

A lot of tenants have come from word of mouth and people bringing in their friends who they go to school with.  

No magic letter will guarantee success.

To invest in these markets, connect with investors, research neighborhoods with stable employment, good schools, and low vacancy rates, and leverage local expertise.Good luck!

In my small city (70,000 or so) we have a university with about 20,000 students with a nursing school, hospital, and obviously several mid size employers that I’m sure have people travel into this area for business purposes.  

Hey Cameron,Sorry for the delay,  in math terms 6% is 1.5 times 4%.However, for tax purposes it is not that simple, for your primary residence you get a lot of tax breaks such as not paying for schools, and an exemption of the first x $'s etc.  

Not to mention my Japanese friends who are in college all have cheap apartments by the college because they don't want to wake up at 5 am for a 2-hour commute to school.

We're talking about title company reps, real estate transaction attorneys, SEC attorneys (yeah, the fancy ones), insurance agents, and lenders who make magic happen.

Raleigh or Charlotte, NC, may be great nearby options to check out while you’re finishing school.