Instead of focusing on how much money you've lost, consider the knowledge and experience you've gained.

House hacking will also give you some personal "property management" experience.

In my experience, one thing to consider is the "type" of propertyI have a property where I have a tenant that is usually late. 7months/year late.

Most property owners do not experience this challenge as many neighbors do the same thing. 

As students you most likely won't have much prior job experience which makes it hard to qualify and get approved.

I can't speak from experience, but--if you haven't done so already--perhaps consider diving deep into for-rent postings on Craigslist, Apartments.com, Trulia, Hotpads, and other similar sites.

I've not had a good experience with those.

Looking to gain experience on analyzing deal and running numbers

I would love to connect with you to hear more about your experiences. 

I don't doubt your claims are false at all but I didn't purchase a property 23 years ago to experience the long-term benefits.