[philfreo]

I'm also a college student and web designer myself, but have stayed as far away from Rentacoder as possible (except when outsourcing parts of my own projects). Competing on price with people overseas isn't a place you want to be in.

Get the word out about yourself among people you know, put up some Google AdWords targeting your area, put some SEO focus on "[city] web design", and have a decent portfolio online. I always tell potential they can find a much cheaper way to get online, but that your work is of much higher quality (more attractive design, WordPress or ExpressionEngine so they can update it themselves, SEO to bring them business, etc.).