<p>Although it might be bigger than your child thinks they want, I'd add a stop at the University of Wisconsin Madison during the trip just to get an idea of what a larger school has to offer. Some other schools with strong English departments within driving distance of Chicago: Lawrence U, Beloit (already mentioned), Northwestern (ditto), DePauw, Knox College. </p>
<p>You might want to check out the intinerary that a poster named Sly_Vermont is planning. They'll be hitting Northwestern, Beloit, Lake Forest and U of Wisconsin. You could easily throw in U of Chicago and possibly Lawrence if you have a full week. On the other hand, you might also consider flying into Chicago and back home from another city, such as Indianapolis, Cleveland, Columbus or Minneapolis-St. Paul. That will give you more options to see along the way if you don't mind doing a bit of driving. Fly home from Minneapolis, for example, and you could add stops at Macalaster, St. Olaf and Carleton after you see the U of Wisconsin. Last spring break, my daughter and I flew into Dayton and visited Earlham, then drove over to Knox, then up to Beloit and Lake Forest. </p>
<p>Other schools relatively close to urban areas not yet mentioned, but worth a look for English: U of Pennsylvania, Brandeis, U of Rochester, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Occidental, Rice, Trinity (TX), Trinity (CT),
Macalester, Swarthmore, Oberlin, Rhodes, Vanderbilt, Washington U in St. Louis, Emory, Carleton, St. Olaf, Tufts, Boston College, Boston U, Wheaton (Mass), U of Michigan.</p>
<p>Strictly west coast options (besides Reed): Whitman College in Washington, Pomona, Occidental, U of Arizona, Willamette, Lewis & Clark, plus, of course, the usual suspects in terms of the U of California schools, the U of Oregon, and the U of Washington.</p>