I think you’re both right—a rigorous core is exciting to an intellectually curious student because it covers a lot ground. An open curriculum invites the student her/himself to create the ground they’d like to cover.
I have a young DS (high school class of 2026) with a wide range of interests—history, science, engineering, art, Japanese, philosophy, politics, etc. He’s hungry for knowledge and memorizes facts easily. Tbh, it can be a little exhausting sometimes. I associate this type a little more with UChicago than Amherst or Hamilton. But I could see him happy at either—loving the challenge of the core at Chicago or pursuing whatever he wants in an open curriculum. I’d probably look at other cultural factors for fit—like athletic or Greek culture, rural/urban, etc to make a decision.