<p>I’ve never been to Amherst so I can’t help you there. One of my kids is at Tufts (and had toured and loved Pomona but didn’t apply in the end), the other will be at Pitzer next year. The Claremont colleges feel more relaxed to me (as a parent), but both schools seem to have generally happy students. Claremont (as you probably know from visiting) is more isolated; the town is adorable and walkable yes but getting into Los Angeles takes some time and/or a train ride unless you have a friend with a car. For Tufts, you hop on a T to get into Cambridge or Boston. Tufts students have a camping lodge in the nearby mountains. Claremont students have a day where they go to the beach in the morning and then go skiing in the afternoon. </p>
<p>The communities at Amherst and Pomona are of course going to be smaller–some folks prefer that, some like having something larger. That’s just personal preference. There will be more choices for majors and courses at Tufts, but if you like the offerings at Amherst and Pomona then that’s not necessarily an issue. If you’re at Tufts, you also have the resources of the city–you can go to lectures or whatever at other schools in the area. </p>
<p>You should also price airfares to and from home, and the logistics of getting from the school to and from the airport. If Pomona means you can’t afford to come home for Thanksgiving etc etc is that something that would be an issue for you? </p>
<p>No bad choices, just different choices. Congrats!</p>