Bard is also test optional. But UMN is a heckuva lot cheaper than private college.
@HiHeyHello8 do you have good reason to believe your ACT will be significantly higher? Or are you going more on hope and determination? And what are your thoughts on taking the SAT instead?
In terms of selectivity, CBS will be harder to get into; CLA and CFANS easier (with similar test scores needed for both). Previous applications have asked for two choices of a college so you can specify a backup - say, one of the less selective colleges that can give you a similar major experience. Your studies in CBS will be much more math and science intensive than at CLA; however, the major requirements for a biology major in both colleges are going to be similar. The prebiosystems/bioproducts major is a joint program between CFANS and CSE. It’s a very applied program of study (you work on food or biosystems or ecological systems specifically) and has an engineering focus. While in CFANS you are actually in pre-major status - if accepted to the major, the remaining two years are completed over at CSE. It sounds very rigorous and exciting but you should check to see how many who apply through CFANS tend to be accepted to the major.
You might just take a look at all the requirements of your majors of interest to see how they are fulfilled through the various colleges of entry. UMN is very flexible in that there is more than one way to major in the biological sciences. Each college will have its own emphasis (CFANS very applied, CLA will be a liberal arts education, and CBS will be very technical and quantitative). All are great choices - the trick is discovering which tracks spark your interest the most. Assuming your stats are in good order, those are the tracks you will want to put down on your application.