It is probably a good thing that that you are willing to forgive Amherst’s founders for stealing Williams’ students, faculty and library books, but I am having trouble following your logic.
In general, one would think that it is easier to “slip through” unchanged at a school with an open curriculum than a school that does not have an open curriculum because you can pick course subjects with which you are already familiar, comfortable, or find easier.
I was not sure what “intimacy” had to do with getting a better education, so I googled “Amherst intimacy” and the result did not suggest a positive correlation between the two.
Googling “Boston College intimacy” returned an arguably more academic result, particularly if you are interested in studying theology.
Maybe the high degree of “intimacy” explains why Amherst’s four year graduation rate is lower than BC’s?
In general, the notion of intimacy is best left to the marketing folks, and an objective comparison between the schools should focus on the potential benefits and drawbacks of smaller class sizes and fewer faculty.