update!
accepted: madison, twin cities, smith, local safeties (sorry i would rather not list them)
waitlisted: none
rejected: macalester (biology) & rice
madison and smith are my top choices at the moment but im still unsure between the two of them 
smith ends up being about ~4k cheaper due to work study, but both are affordable.
also: i ended up applying for engineering instead of bio due to an interest in relevent sustainability and/or biofuels! 
i wouldnt say im 100% certain that ill stick with it, but i figured i should at least try… i am still interested in plant bio though. um, as for comparisons, the main downsides to smith are obviously the difference in majors and then, on a personal level, that northampton is very small… pros are the alumni network and the general environment though: they have a cool vibe, and i like the idea of a smaller school!
as for madison— i was very grateful to get in considering the departments competition and it definitely beats smith in terms of major specifics: there are labs/partnerships that match my interests, and they actually have the degree im looking for whereas i would have to try taking umass courses to mimic it well at smith. (its also much closer to home.)
my reservations though are mainly about how large the university is, and the subsequent weed out classes. i feel like in general i would enjoy the vibe at smith much more, but im not sure how much precedence that should take over academics? i imagine the education at smith will be great, and im not trying to diminish that, but its just hard for me to judge the rest because im not sure how an engineering science major would be recieved when compared to one that is specifically for chem e… and then the differences in equipment resources for bigger schools are LACS as well?
if anyone would like to share any input though, advice would be greatly welcomed!!