My daughter preferred Amherst to Pomona, even though the weather scared her (we are Californians). I suspect your experience varies depending on which people you happen to meet on your visit. She felt the Amherst students were happy, engaged and interesting. She’s not a partier, and to her the social life at both seemed very similar. Amherst had more “school spirit” and seemed more diverse. Both schools are insanely wealthy. Both schools will have terrific program strength and excellent teaching in anything that they offer. Both have consortiums to fill in any holes in their curriculum. Either is a great choice.