<p>Both of these are completely different schools.
I’m biased towards liberal arts schools, however, in that I think they give a better undergraduate experience 
If you really like Columbia, go for it! But otherwise, I think Amherst is an absolutely amazing school - there’s no replacement for the amount of supportive, individualized attention that you’ll receive. There’s internship opportunities at Amherst anyway, and you can always go to Columbia for graduate school. Ultimately, I think it’s up to individual preference. Do you think that Columbia’s location / etc. is more important than a strong undergraduate experience, etc?
Don’t forget to consider Columbia’s core vs. an open curriculum at Amherst as well.</p>