Lots of useful responses on this thread, and nothing of substance to add, but I’m intrigued by how different groups of people view different colleges regionally, culturally, etc. All schools under discussion are terrific schools, but in the environment I grew up in, Amherst would have been the no-brainer and UMich the tough sell. This is why I find CC so useful, because it can open one’s eyes to possibilities one had never considered before. (Some of the schools we’re considering for our kid have already required some explaining to family members.)