paying3tuitions

Amherst doesn't allow fraternities or sororities, while Brown does.

Last I looked at the data, 10% of Brown students belonged to fraternities. A portion of the Brown campus has fraternity buildings in a quad, making an on-campus physical presence that can't be overlooked. These house are pretty impressive, IMO.

KWU helpfully provided data sets in his post #3. There is some data there that help to compare aspects of each school that might help you see whether there's a fit for you S. For example, compare diversity statistics at both places to see if there's a meaningful difference there between the two institutions.

Look also for economic diversity, which is not reflected in the visible presence of people from many racial groups. President Tony Marx began his presidency at Amherst several years ago by restructuring financial aid packages to encourage more applications from students whose family income is middle-class. His observation was that, although most families in America are middle-class, only 14% of the campus at that time came from such families. Perhaps by now there are more students who fill in the middle between those on need-based scholarships and those whose families can pay in full. I don't know if that is also an initiative at Brown.

John F Kennedy, Jr. attended Brown. President John F. Kennedy spoke at Amherst College in front of the Robert Frost library. You can't go wrong either way.

I'd balance out that description of athletics by adding there are well-developed arts activities at Amherst, too, including: a vibrant Theater/Dance department, Kirby Theater for departmental and student productions; a Concert Choir that tours the world; an orchestra; numerous a-cappella singing groups. It might not be evident in the clothing/appearance of students whose EC's revolve around the arts, but the activity and involvement are strong in the arts.