I have been doing that since I was 17 including those college years.  

Will the tenants be college kids or working class?

If you wanted to get s true idea of occupancy rates I would talk to/work with an existing property management company that have internal data of their own.

I was able to drive around and  found a few concentrated areas of MFR near a college section.

The reason turned out to be a very high percentage of residents with advanced college degrees and very high house prices.San Jose CA is huge with dramatically variable neighborhoods.

I think with the growth rate, hospitals, and colleges around both areas, there will be continued growth.

I've got 2 kids and looking to use REI to help build their college funds.i dont have any experience in REI but i've been following this site for awhile now and I think i'm ready to start getting involved in REI.

Those certification agencies you see are like the international star registry.  

I've been looking for a duplex/triplex to live in in the Bothell, WA area and rent out the other unit while in college.

I have one kid going off to college this fall, which, is already paid for and another will graduate high school in 2 years.