I’m surprised that the Duke Gardens (website) didn’t make the list. Though, according to the map, only 1/4-1/3 of the gardens are considered the Asiatic Arboretum. But they are certainly very lovely.
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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!!
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Congratulations on your acceptances, particularly affordable ones! Those are all some great schools.
I’m not able to speak confidently about the engineering questions, though. Perhaps @eyemgh might have some insight?
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Wow! Congrats. I am so happy for you. Wherever you end up going is going to be lucky to have you!
You have terrific choices here. Students love both Madison and Smith!
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Well, I think you’ve summed up the pros and cons nicely. The classes will be bigger at Wisconsin, and there is a threshold to move forward in major (same for MN, but a lower threshold), but the facilities are far superior and you won’t have to cobble together your major. I’d be inclined to go with the program that is what you need academically out of the gate, but I get the concerns about big schools.
I know you said you didn’t want to name the others, but would you?
I’m a health care provider, but did my undergrad in agronomy. I can’t help believe that there is a third way that might be the best of both worlds, Iowa State for example. It has less stringent degree maintenance requirements and is an excellent teaching school.
If you are worried about privacy, PM me. Congrats!
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thank you!! yes i was suprised with how hard it was to find smaller engineering schools that offered more than stem, but i guess it makes sense in hindsight lol. rice was unfortunately the best match i had found for a smaller school that was in a diverse city w/ chem e. (twin cities would be higher than madison in this regard, but it would cost about $6k more, so…)
as for my local safeties, they don’t actually offer chemical engineering, iirc madison and point are the only ones (in state) that do. i applied with materials engingeering and biomed, but that was mainly because i wanted to have options if i decided to stay close to home. i am somewhat considering the materials engineering school, but its not high. i can dm you that one if you would still like though!
and for iowa, that was more of a last resort for me (no offense to those who love the school…). i would just rather go to madison, between the two of them. thank you still for the suggestion though
definitely, the progression requirement is a worry of mine. i dont think i had the strongest science background, particularly in regards to labs, and ive heard freshman physics is especially difficult at madison. although, i was thinking that since i will have completed the calc sequence beforehand, the upper level math classes might help me balance my core gpa a little bit? since i wont have to take the notorious calc two… 
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This is a long thread, so forgive me for not reading it in its entirety. @AustenNut kindly called me in, but I’m lacking background. I thought you wanted plant science, ideally genetics, but not of field crops. Then engineering came into the mix, and I assumed BME. How did you get to ChemE? Do you know what ChemE’s do. It seems like it wouldn’t be an ideal fit. Plus, you have a big school, that apparently you aren’t in love with so you’re trying to make Smith work.
Please back up and tell me what you are trying to accomplish. As they say on Reddit ILI5 (explain like I’m 5).
Thanks!
I’d love clarification, too. When I was reading that there was a switch to engineering, I thought it might have been agricultural engineering (offered at Madison & Twin Cities) or bioengineering (offered at Madison, Twin Cities, & Amherst…for Smith). Not sure how Chem E came into the picture.
my apologies, i did not mean to come across as if i were expecting that.
ah, i am not interested in the oil and gas side of chemical engineering, if that is what you mean? this comment describes what i would be interested in! Reddit - Dive into anything (sorry, i don’t think i would be able to explain it very well myself 
)
i do find general process optimization interesting as well, and thats part of the motivation behind the switch. with biology, im only really interested in plant bio as it relates to food crops. i was worried about not having a backup plan if i did not make it through grad school, or land such a specfic job, if that makes sense. I was also second guessing if i would actually enjoy it as a career, or if i just liked the idea of it
i ended up finding chem e. by looking through alternative majors that still related somewhat to “sustainability,” where i would still enjoy the opportunities available for non phd holders, if things did not work out as planned.
basically, the reasons i was interested in plant biology and the reasons i am interested in chemical engineering now stem from the same set of interests. i realize thats very… unspecific but im not sure how to word this, sorry. essentially, i have had a long standing interest in enviornmental geography, but as i am not a humanities person, or a law and policy one, much of my major hunting has been to find a stem field that considers topics like that and i felt like chemical engineering, at least as the above commenter described, fit. if that makes sense?
Now I must have misread that too. I though it said you weren’t interested in farming. 
Essentially every plant we eat directly, say tomatoes, or indirectly like bread from wheat, is farmed. There’s science behind optimization of that called agronomy. It includes things as lab related as cellular biology and genetics, to computer driven modeling like GIS, to classic field work like cross breeding.
Then there’s botany, where the the non-field crop stuff falls, like fungi. Of course, there’s a massive crossover.
Biological Systems Engineering applies engineering systems to food production, water and energy.
Finally, many big projects require all sorts of engineers, from ME, Civil, CS, and yes ChemE. Of those, industrial Engineering is the one concentrating on system optimization.
Like many students, you’re overwhelmed feeling “how do I obtain all of the pieces of the puzzle.” In reality, no one does. We just are responsible for one piece on a big interdisciplinary team.
I’d go back to the majors pages at both schools and read everyone that seems germane. My gut says Wisconsin will have what you want, probably Biological Systems Engineering.
Good luck!
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I think that you would benefit from a school with a strong College of Agriculture. Even if you don’t move into that college, you may want to take some specialty electives.
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I’m a huge fan of agriculture departments at big flagships–lots of cool things to learn, and lots of smart down-to-earth students. But Smith is a fascinating place too. It would be a very different experience, and an excellent education. Smith would provide lots of room to explore a variety of interests, not just engineering.
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