On the contrary, the top midwestern LACs get a fair number of applications and are hardly the hidden gems posters make them out to be.
Consider the application numbers for the class of 2019, for example.
8894 Midd
8860 Oberlin
7817 Swat
7076 Kenyon
6721 Carleton
6414 Grinnell
6031 Macalester
…
3468 Haverford
Carleton and Grinnell were on par with Bowdoin and Williams for applications and received more applications than other top 20ish LACs such as Harvey Mudd, W&L, Davidson, Hamilton, Bates, Wellesley, Smith, and Bryn Mawr. Among LACs, only Wesleyan and Midd received more applications than Oberlin.