Every Summer.

Those going it alone have to make a difficult choice: work or take on significant debt. Doing an unpaid internship to gain professional experience isn't a realistic option, unless students take out loans to pay the bills.

"If you want professional experience, you have to do it on top of classes and get paid, or do it for free to get college credit you pay for," said Rachel Anderson, who just graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a bachelor's degree in journalism, advertising and media studies, and a minor in communications.

One of five children in a single-parent household, Anderson put herself through college, scheduling classes around jobs, but also accepting student loans. She started in 2004, but took a few years off to chip away at student loans and early credit card debt that she regretted accumulating.

"It was difficult to balance getting good grades and paying my bills without getting a credit card or taking out a lot of loans," the Racine native said. "My expectations were that it would be easier than it was. I took a break when I was 19, grew up, and knew I'd have to work harder when I went back. Every waking moment, I did something to accomplish my goals."

In the fall of 2011, Anderson got an unpaid internship for three class credits, working 15 hours a week, while taking 12 class credits (the minimum for full-time status) and bartending Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. — a total of 24 additional hours.

"My fiancé put a kibosh on the bartending job when my internship employer hired me as a paid intern in spring 2012," she said.

Her senior year, she got a paid internship for a company that trains high school mentors. She also worked on campus as a mentor for adult and transfer students.

It took Anderson a total of 41/2 years, full-time status, to get through college. She worked at least 20 hours a week during school until her final year, when she took out more student loans, and worked full time every summer.

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