It probably doesn't matter. Unless the "ae" is conjoined, as in "æ", the top tier programs would have thrown your application in the trash anyway.
Seriously, any Orthopod who has time to worry about how Orthopedics is spelled obviously has more time on their hands than they should. Come to think of it, there was one pompous staff who was offended by my casual use of the term "orthopod" in a conversation. Looking back, he was quite the tool.