Are you serious???? The students at these colleges are drugged-out whackjobs or socially maladjusted drama queens/kings.

Grinnell
Oberlin
Carlton
Kenyon

Lawrence University has a great music program and is well respected in the Midwest.

Carleton. Wife went there and she had lots of choices. Known for producing great writers. Anyone who knows their colleges will have heard of it - same league as Swarthmore, Dickinson and other xlnt small liberal arts colleges. No to Otterbein. My best friend's husband taught there so I've spent a lot of time on campus. They hated living in Columbus Ohio. Wife would pull out a chair and get on it and say "See, we can see Kansas from here" because it was so flat. They left.

Macalester

http://www.carleton.edu/

This website does not impress!

Carleton

Anonymous wrote:Is the University of Chicago too big to count? I think that is the best school in the mid west.

It's great, but it's a university, so it's not technically a "selective liberal arts college."

PP here. Ugh, I meant "I have heard"...

I have hear of all the colleges listed except for Carleton. I am originally from Ohio and can you tell you that I never understood the draw to either Oberlin or Kenyon. Both of the colleges are in the middle of nowhere. Kenyon is built on an old Native American cemetery and the entire campus culture is built around this weird fact.

I am a crunchy granola type and should have loved Oberlin, but again, just a weird vibe. I am not the only who thinks so either. This is coming from a gal that seriously going to school at Hampton College in Massachusetts.

Ultimately, I chose to go to another small liberal arts school in Ohio, which many people have never heard of, but I got an excellent, excellent education that has allowed me to open many doors and become quite successful.

I went to Otterbein College. I benefited from having no class ever larger than 20 people, other than my astronomy 101 class that was taken as an elective. Lots of other great things about the school, too.

What I have learned about going to a school like Otterbein is that there are a number of great schools across the country that give excellent learning opportunities. Trust your gut and not the brand when picking a school for your child.

Is the University of Chicago too big to count? I think that is the best school in the mid west.

Pittsburgh has been called "The Paris of Appalachia" because of all the cultural institutions that it has.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about Chatham University in Pittsburgh. It's a women's school with a charming campus.

True enough, but in terms of prestige, name recognition, etc., it is not in the same league as these other schools.

And Pittsburgh is not the Midwest, folks!

That is a running debate. Some say Pittsburgh is not in the Midwest, but it is certainly not East Coast. In truth Pittsburgh is in Appalachia, Western Appalachia, Northernmost Western Appalachia depending how granular you want to get.

Hubby went to Oberlin, and yes, he is weird. In a good way. He had a great time, learned a lot, and his degree has nothing to do with his vocation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about Chatham University in Pittsburgh. It's a women's school with a charming campus.

True enough, but in terms of prestige, name recognition, etc., it is not in the same league as these other schools.

And Pittsburgh is not the Midwest, folks!

I graduated from high school in NJ 25 years ago. Carleton already had a burgeoning reputation then. Known as a place that was Swarthmore/Williams quality but in the Midwest (and freezing cold Minn at that) and therefore easier to get into.