I'd like to get into the multi-unit student market.I grew up in the Waynesboro/Staunton area and know them very well.

Great Idea, this will really help all the new guys on the block (like myself) to connect with other local investors and professions.  

Naturally, the options available as a landlord will depend on location: in Thunder Bay or Sudbury you have the niche of student rentals; in a bustling resource town, you will have a high buy-in, but high-rent.  

I am a Business Analyst/Data Scientist by profession but new to real estate investing.

Every professional was once a student...

I'm self employed now, and until my agency takes off, I'm bouncing between Audio Visual contract work (my previous profession) and contract investor marketing assistance work.  

You can Google to locate them and go to meetup.com You can do this via phone prior to the move.I always point to your profession to find out about an area go to IREM.org search for ARM certified property managers.

I was wondering whether anyone has experience with student rentals.

It's a 15-20 minute drive to UW without traffic, and 30-35 minutes with traffic (in my experience when I was a student there last year).We're looking to price it somewhere around $300k.  

I have a great job on campus and she manages the Ventana Student Housing here by Krispy Kreme.