I applied and called to get my student ID (for some reason I hadn’t gotten it). They called me back 30 minutes later and asked e questions about my EC’s, GPA, Test Scores, and among other things where this school was ranked on my list. So my question is, does Minnesota track interest, and if so, how heavily does it weigh into your application?
Yes they do track interest, but it doesn’t weigh much at all. A tiebreaker, perhaps at most, but GPA and scores are the biggie. I think it’s more to help themselves track their success in luring candidates.
The common data set section C7 says Level of Interest is Not Considered. But that is nice they were so interested.
http://www.oir.umn.edu/static/stsur/cds_2014_2015_TC.pdf
The UMN staff are amazing with their support! I’ve gotten help in person, over the phone, and by e-mail. Only hope that it ends with an acceptance 
Thank you for all your responses! Actually since I’ve posted this I’ve also received a card thanking me for talking with them as well as another call. This call was from a specific college and asked me questions tailored to my intended major. Minnesota has definitely left a very good impression on me because of this. It seems like they’re genuinely interested in the students applying.