<p>We just started the process of visiting colleges for our son. So far we have visited Western Illinois and Monmouth College in Illinois and Coe, Cornell College, St. Ambrose, Clarke and Loras. Of these he was most interested in Monmouth, Coe and St. Ambrose. We were pleasantly surprised with some of these schools and it left us wondering if there aren't more "hidden gems" out there that we are not aware of. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>What are your bounds on “midwest”?</p>
<p>We had friends who went to Wooster in Ohio. </p>
<p>Have you looked at the College That Change Lives? It started with a book, but here’s the website for their midwest schools?
[CTCL</a> Midwest Region | Colleges That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/midwest]CTCL”>http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/midwest)</p>
<p>What did he like about the ones he liked? That will help us make suggestions.</p>
<p>My son is fairly non-specific when asked what he liked about individual schools, but I know he was impressed with the dorms (A/C) and newer buildings at St. Ambrose and Coe. He really liked the sports facilities at Monmouth. He seemed to be less than impressed with the historical buildings and strong “traditional” feel of the other’s facilities. Coe and Monmouth both did a nice job making us feel welcome and had a strong “community” feel about them. As far as our boundaries in regards to the Midwest, I think he is leaning towards Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. He is a small town kid, but is someone who likes to be involved (student government, clubs, sports, etc.) so we are leaning towards smaller schools.</p>
<p>You might want to check out Ripon College in Wisconsin. It’s a small school and seems to have a close knit community.</p>
<p>My son has some of the same schools on his list though we have not visited most of them yet. A friend’s son attends Coe and loves it.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Luther College? It is quite popular with students in my town.</p>
<p>What about Oberlin?</p>
<p>You might want to look at Beloit College and Lawrence University (both in Wisconsin). And Grinnell in Iowa.</p>
<p>How about carleton college in Minnesota?</p>
<p>Illinois Wesleyan (in Bloomington) is well worth a look.</p>
<p>In MN, you might want to look at Macalester and St. Olaf in addition to Carleton.</p>
<p>In MI, you might want to look at Hope and Kalamazoo.</p>
<p>Second Luther College in Iowa. Also Knox College in Illinois and University of Minnesota, Morris, UM’s undergraduate liberal arts college with 1,700 students.</p>
<p>Malcaster is urban and more competitive selectively than a in past decades. St. Olaf and Carleton are also have more traditional campuses and Carleton has become popular and is more competitive admissions-wise. Suggestions would depend on where your student is grade-wise and ACT-wise and if you are looking for finaid.</p>
<p>Luther College (my school) in Decorah IA, Wartburg College in Waverly IA, Grand View University in Des Moines IA, Simpson College in Indianola IA, Central College in Pella IA, St. Olaf College in Northfield MN, Augsburg College in Minneapolis MN, Macalester University in St Paul MN, Concordia College in Moorhead MN, Augustana College in Souix Falls SD, Augustana College in Rock Island IL. To name a few. 
Obviously I recommend Luther very highly.</p>
<p>Wikipedia list: <a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_liberal_arts_colleges_in_the_United_States[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_liberal_arts_colleges_in_the_United_States</a></p>
<p>I would consider Wheaton College (“Harvard of Christian schools”) outside of Chicago if you are looking for a solid Christian community and excellent academics. One of my friends who graduated this year and is attending UVA Law (top 10 law school).</p>
<p>For sports facilties and unique community, check out Wabash. I would also check out Ripon and Beloit.</p>
<p>Look at U of Minnesota - Morris.</p>
<p>Coe’s a great school, and very generous with aid – hope he takes a good look at it. What is he in interested in academically? Sounds like maybe you hit Iowa Private College week – its a great deal.</p>
<p>We did hit the Iowa Private College week. It is a great idea and I wish other states did this. Coe is on the short list and we will be taking another look at it. Coe originally wasn’t on our radar until the IPCW but it made us realize there maybe more out there that we are also overlooking.</p>
<p>Gustavus in Minnesota.</p>
<p>He might also want to check out Earlham College in Richmond, IN. It was founded by the Quakers and is still run on the Quaker principles of Respect, Integrity, Peace & Justice, Simplicity, and Community (it welcomes students of all faiths). Its small size means that students get lots of individual attention from professors and advisors. The Dean of Admissions told me, “No one falls through the cracks at Earlham” and we have found this to be true. Tons of opportunities for student involvement in sports, clubs and government. It is one of the Colleges That Change Lives.</p>