I think LACs are excellent places for pre-meds because, to generalize broadly, they tend to be more supportive and less competitive than the large schools. It’s just harder to be sharp-elbowed in an environment where you will see the same people in most of your classes, in the dorm, around campus and at dinner. S was pre-med at Grinnell - which has palatial facilities, by the way, and generous merit aid. His org chem class went out to dinner together on Thurs nights. Lab crashed? No problem, people share their results with the prof’s blessing. Ditto if you fall sick and miss a class. (Nephew in state U honors program was up past midnight when his lab crashed, redoing it from scratch…and the weeder classes are making him suffer.)
I also think the midwestern LACs are treasures. SpiritManager’s list if great. If you love music, Oberlin’s conservatory means there’s a music performance every night of the schools year and outstanding faculty. Add Lawrence and Hendrix to you list of possibles too.