Disclaimer: I’m new here, so sorry if I posted this wrong or something 
I’m a high school student looking for a midwestern college with a good English program (and possibly a Creative Writing track/minor). I’d just like some options. My UW GPA is okay at 3.7.
I’ve already toured Carleton, Macalester, University of Minnesota, and we drove around Madison’s campus but it didn’t impress me. My dream school is Northwestern, but it’s still a reach even if I do well on the ACT this year. Any school in the Midwest (except probably Ohio, since I live in Wisconsin and that’s pretty far) would do.
It’s also worth mentioning I know all about University of Iowa’s English prestige, but my parents don’t want to pay the OOS tuition that comes with.
Too bad Ohio is out of bounds as Kenyon would be the obvious choice. It is increasingly competitive. Would Grinnell be too distant? I have no idea about Creative Writing at the following places but you might want to check out regional LACs like Lawrence, Beloit, St Olaf, or Earlham.
UW also has a lot to offer. The library is superb. You might want to give it a second look and take a tour. Madison is a fun town.
I know, Kenyon seems great. I’m actually planning to tour Grinnell in August! Lawrence is only 30 minutes from me, and I don’t know if that’s too close for the 'rents 
Beloit sounds okay, and we also drove by St Olaf after Carleton and it seemed a little small.
Maybe I will tour Madison. Thank you!
Check out Knox College in Galesburg IL for English/Creative Writing. You mentioned OOS tuition may be an issue. There are some state schools in the midwest that don’t charge OOS tuition. Bemidji St (which has a BFA in Creative Wiring track), UMINN-Morris and Truman St in Missouri come to mind.
I agree that Knox has a very strong Creative Writing program, and they’re also very generous with merit scholarships. It’s certainly less competitive than other schools you’re considering, so maybe would be a good safety for you.
You should definitely consider Kenyon. Is
Ohio really too far? I always got the impression that Midwesterners didn’t mind a bit of expressway driving?
St O has about 3,100 students compared to 2,000 at Carleton, FWIW. It is not quite as competitive as Carleton. It also offers merit scholarships.
Look at Kalamazoo College, less than 4 hours from Milwaukee and a unique LAC.
@mamaedefamilia stole my initial post.
Denison is also in OH and a little less competitive than Kenyon with good merit and financial aid.
Hamline University in the Twin Cities has excellent MFA programs in writing, so you might want to check out their undergrad majors as well. Otherwise, the ACM liberal arts colleges will be your best bet for English. As for the small schools, they won’t feel small once you are involved in your classes. It’s important to not just drive by–go to a scheduled visit when school is in session. Otherwise, everything will seem way too empty. Definitely check out Grinnell, St. Olaf, Knox, Cornell (in IA), Luther, and Carleton online for courses, faculty, and author events and then visit for atmosphere. Apply to several of them so you can compare financial aid offers; they each have a different formula for figuring it out. Kenyon and Earlham would be great, too. You’ll need to drive through the Chicago/Northern Indiana traffic mess–it may be worth it and you could visit them both on one trip.
University of Michigan’s English program is ranked extremely high by US news- along with most of Michigan’s programs in any department. I also know that UofM has even a special residence hall for people who want to master their creative writing, called Alice Lloyd Scholars. Not to mention Ann Arbor, where Michigan is, is artsy, creative, and very vibey. I’d consider it
I’ve heard about Michigan from a teacher - she seems to love it. It’s also a lot smaller than Madison, and about the same as NU. Adding to the list!
And yes, all, Knox is now on my radar! Thanks to everyone for the help.
Michigan is a large public university with 20000 undergrads. That said, it has a great English department. But you would be paying out of state tuition, so probably over $50K total per year.
Someone above said Kenyon would be a safety – you haven’t given test scores, but with a 3.7 GPA I doubt that (my kid with a 3.7 and amazing test scores did not consider it a safety, but was accepted).
And I have to cast another vote for Kenyon here. Worth extra the drive, for sure for an English major. It is their sweet spot.
UMich has 28K undergrads. Madison has 31K undergrads. Sounds comparable to me. NU has only 9K undergrads.
-Coe College
-DePauw University
-Macalester College
-University of Notre Dame
College of Wooster & Oberlin, if you’ll consider Ohio.
Oh, I was counting grads and undergrads. Probably why that was a mix-up.
A great college for English with a concentration in creative is WUSTL. However, it is on the harder side to get accepted there. The rate of acceptance hovers around 17%.
I’ve heard about WUSTL. Seems nice, but I’d have to work really hard to be considered at both there and Northwestern. I’ll look into it!