Biostat MS Program Recs for Low GPA

[svk5624]

Hi, I'm planning on applying for Masters programs this year for Fall 2025, and was hoping I could get some feedback on whether the programs I chose are feasible are not.

Undergrad: T25 

Major: Double Major - B.S Neuroscience, B.A Applied Statistics w/ Biostat Concentration

GPA: 3.1/4.00 (upward trend from first year)

Type of Student: Domestic, Female, Asian

GRE: 168Q, 164V, 5.0 AWA

Relevant Courses: 

• Calculus II - C (retaking this summer, took it in high school and got an A)
• Introduction to Programming - D
• Statistics for Biologists - B+
• Research Methods and Data Analysis - A (R Course)
• Intro to Data Science with R - A-
• Research Methods and Data Analysis 2 - A- (R Course)
• Intro to Regression Analysis - B+
• Applied Linear Algebra - A-
• Data Analysis with Python - C
• Foundations of Statistics - B
• Upcoming Courses: Calculus II, Calculus III, Mathematical Statistics, Sample Surveys, Data Visualization and Management, Experimental Design, Statistical Machine Learning, Survival Analysis and Reliability Theory.
• Introduction to Epigenetics: A-
• Epigenetics Lab: A

Research Experience: I worked on a short term project for a neuroscience lab, doing data analysis from raster plots. I'm currently working under a biostatistics professor, working on cca for fmri and genetics/epigenetic data from various mental illnesses. We're planning on submitting an abstract for a conference next spring, as well as publishing a paper in the upcoming months. I also have a capstone project for statistics next fall semester.

Work Experience: I interned at a local pharma company after my first year of college, and did data entry and analysis for various projects in the quality control department. I also did a global health internship at a non profit organization, where I did data validation for grants and funding for different research teams. I've been working on campus for student affairs for two years, and I tutor middle and high school students in math and writing.

Letters of Recommendation: I plan on asking my research professor, my boss at my part time job, and a genetics professor I took classes with. I believe that the first two will be very strong, and the last letter wouldn't be as strong since the classes were pretty large.

Goals/Other Info: My current plan is to finish my Master's and then work before applying to PhD programs. I'm hoping to go into a program that has a concentration or focus in statistical genetics. My interest are health equity, specifically in terms of mental health in nations where it is stigmatized, as well as the genetic basis for different mental disorders.

Current List of Colleges I'm Planning to Apply To: I tried to vary the program rankings and chose a variety of schools (based on the US news rankings).

University of Michigan--Ann Arbor

University of Washington - Capstone

University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill

Duke University

University of Colorado--Denver

Columbia University

Ohio State University

Drexel University

University of Minnesota--Twin Cities

University of Pittsburgh

 

Questions:

• Is my list of colleges realistic considering my current stats (my scores in my python classes are my biggest concern)?
• Is there anything else I can do to improve my application? My dream school is University of Michigan, however I know that my GPA is on the lower end, and UMich doesn't look at GRE scores, so what can I do to stand out?
• Are there any other programs I should be considering that would be a better match for me?

Thank you for reading through all of that