My concern about college students would be whether they were sufficiently insured. I almost wonder if doing it oneself for no more than the cost of paint may be as good as hiring students. Of course, I'm sure some colleges students would do an excellent job.

Another option may be to look for an out-of-work handyman. One woman I know did this. The only problem was the handyman offered to get the paint that matched the home's existing paint, but once the paint was on it wasn't the charcoal gray she'd wanted. It was more of a blue.

I lean to a professional painting company. Some painting companies will point out that they're careful to do things like cover all the bushes and generally be careful not to leave behind a big mess.