Hi @aussiestar ! I’m going to Bowdoin but I was considering Amherst as well so I might help. I loved that Bowdoin seemed well rounded - academics are strong, but they are not overwhelming to the point which you can’t do anything else. Amherst gave me the impression that the academics were so intense that it became stressful, and you barely had time to do anything else. I got this feeling from visiting and from researching around. For example, see these two articles by Amherst students:
http://amherststudent.amherst.edu/?q=article/2014/12/03/struggling-kindle-minds-amherst-bubble
http://amherststudent.amherst.edu/?q=article/2014/11/19/so-many-essays-no-time-learn
Anyway, hope I could help.