University School of Milwaukee & Select Soccer Clubs (West Allis, Brookfield: how much, home)

[tennisgrl]

Hello Milwaukee Forum.

I am looking for info and thoughts from anyone who might know something about the private school, University School of Milwaukee.

Also any suggestions about well thought of, competitive soccer clubs.

Thanks for your time.

[Fishtacos]

FC Milwaukee
Brookfield SC
Bavarians
Mequon SC

[tennisgrl]

Thanks.

I have heard good things about FC Milwaukee. Should we move there, we will do our due diligence.

Did not get any response back on the University School Milwaukee. Ever heard anything about the school?

Thanks again.

[labmom1]

We just toured the school last week. It is an incredible facility. Our daughter will be in 1st grade - so we focused on the elementary school. The opportunites the kids have there far exceed anything in the area (although they should for the tutition fee). Overall we had a very positive vibe and are going to continue the admission process. My only worry is that it isn't very "real world" and also that students for the most part will come from a very privildged background. That is not necessarily a bad thing - and I probably carry some unfounded bias - but it is a worry nonetheless.

I will say that I recently met a young lady who was a senior there who was one of the most put together kids I have ever met. Very bright and intelligent and well spoken. She loved the school for it's academics, but said there was indeed that element of clickishness - and that basically the students fell into two camps those that used every opportunity at USM to further their educations and those that were there simply because Mommy and Daddy had the money to send them there.

[Fishtacos]

labmom1's comments are pretty consistent with my own experiences for University School.

What sort of environment would match your kid best? That's really the answer. I've seen kids at like schools turn out great and others didn't because of the fit. Great resources and all the advantages and positives, look good on paper. Now compare those to the fit of other good schools of different atmospheres, sizes etc...and perhaps it's a great fit and perhaps not. Make sure you match the school with your kid's personality. With that said, the small sample size I am familiar with were happy there and did well. But that's all subjective. As far as reputation, etc...it's very good.

[andrw313]

I think I can lend you some unique insight to USM as I attended it Pre Kindergarten -8th grade then chose to move on to one of the North Shore's premiere public high schools. It is certainly a great school. The opportunities are numerous but USM advocates tend to exaggerate the increased number of opportunities. Any of the fantastic suburban districts in Milwaukee's North Shore will provide great opportunities and if you ask me, having more than 80 kids per class is a huge plus. If you are worried about "the real world" I would say that USM provides financial aid to about 20 % of the class so there are certainly a variety of backgrounds. That said, many families are "old money" in Milwaukee and the last names of the students often coincide with some of the most well-known area businesses and individuals.
As was mentioned, if you don't get aid it is about $15-20k depending on your child's grade so just know that up front. I agree with the clickishness as the grades are certainly small in size (between 60-100 kids) but you will find a degree of that anywhere. The faculty are really the strength; they really love to teach. Consider that they make significantly less than their public school counter parts and it is quite impressive that they put in the effort that (most) do. Athletics are a double-edged sword. The hockey and tennis teams are generally good and it is one of a few schools to offer girl's field hockey. The basketball, football, and soccer teams, however, are a joke compared to other schools in the area which draw from much larger student bodies. Depending on what your kid is looking for, that can be good or bad as it is still a no-cut policy I believe. Feel free to message me and I can answer any additional questions.

[tennisgrl]

Thank you for your answer. USM sounds like it would be a good fit for our children. Except for the being a joke in soccer. The 12 year old takes that v.seriously

Milwaukee sound like it has some great offerings and I appreciate everyone who took the time to respond.

The potential opportunity looks like it would lead us away from Milwaukee and more East.

Either way, we will put Wisconsin on our Summer vacation to do list.

Best to Wisconsin and it's residents!

[claudelle]

Hi,
I just noticed your question. If you need further information about USM from a parent's viewpoint, let me know and I can give you my perspective.

Both of our children were "lifers." One began in Senior Kindergarten and the younger one began in Junior Kindergarten and graduated from the Upper School. We had good experiences all the way around.

One comment that has always stuck with me that I think sums up the experience of the school came from a gal who had gone through USM and was a frosh in college...when she came home for the Christmas break she was just amazed at how unprepared her roommates were for college...how much trouble they were having making the adjustment, being on their own for the first time, how disorganized they were, how difficult they were finding their classes, etc. In almost all cases, USM students enter college and find the adjustment very easy. Almost all excel in college and go on to have really interesting careers. They graduate from USM with a very well-rounded background, having had opportunities to participate in a whole variety of activities, sports, the arts, community service projects, etc.

Regarding the comment about the "real world," my kids had much more diversity in their classes at USM than they would have had in our local school district where the people tend to be even more homogeneous and from the same socio-economic background. Yes there were probably fewer children on the low end of the achievement spectrum than a local public school. This is a school were achievement is honored and even among the kids, it is cool to excel.

Let me know if I can answer any specific questions for you.

[StewieSoccer5]

Hi, just wanted to say that our soccer team at USM being a "joke" is an absolute lie. Last time that i checked, we made the state semi-finals last year and just recently tied West Allis, a division 1 school (to our division 3) and beat Slinger, another division 1 school. Our football team is a joke, but our soccer team has always been a very strong competitor.