Having Trouble Identifying my Range

[cantera97]

Hi everyone! I just graduated from Columbia, where I studied computer science and math. I am currently working at a Nasa research facility and, while I love my work, I wished I realized earlier that I wanted to pursue a PhD in computer science. I have a 3.82/4.00 GPA, 169/165 GRE, meh LoRs by pretty prominent researchers, and I expect my SoP to be so-so. While I had one year of part time research experience, it was more systems oriented which is not so representative of my desire to pursue more theoretically-oriented research within CS. I am very eager to apply to CS PhD programs for the Fall of 2021 and am struggling to identify realistic options. I am most worried about my seemingly limited (and somewhat off-topic) research experience. It is easy to locate dream schools and reaches, but I would be very appreciative if someone could help me identify some safer (yet strong) choices. 

Edited July 15, 2020 by cantera97