Program Recommendations for Microbial Ecology

[Alli_son]

I'm gearing up to apply to PhD programs this cycle, but I'm having trouble hammering out my list of institutions that I want to apply to. Particularly, I'm having a hard time figuring out the relative selectivity of a program, especially in the case of direct admit ecology programs. I want to make sure I'm applying to some schools that are a bit less selective, but still have a vibrant department, particularly for microbial ecology/disease ecology. It's getting time for me to finalize my list and start reaching out to PIs, but I keep going back and forth about where I'd like to apply.

A bit about me: 

• Undergrad degree in Biology with a minor in Religious studies from a NESCAC small liberal arts school.
• GPA 3.89/4.00
• Took a gap semester during Covid F' 2020 to work in a malaria immunology/infectious disease lab.
• Undergrad capstone research in disease ecology
• I've taken ~2 years off after undergrad to work in a human microbiome lab, where I helped my PI set up her first lab
• Co-first author on a mini-review article published in Trends in Microbiology, currently working toward a larger first author metatranscriptomics paper. I've presented oral and poster presentations at a handful of regional conferences. 
• 3 semesters of mentoring undergraduate students in the lab
• I'm most excited about research that combines molecular and ecological methods. I've been bolstering up my computational biology skills in this job, but I'd like to end up somewhere where I can get up from my computer every now and then for some field work or bench work. I'm especially interested in the intersections between microbiology, community ecology, and One Health. A lot of my previous research has been human-health focused, but I'd prefer to study eco/evo, rather than biomedical research.
• After my PhD, I'm looking to go into academia (professor at a PUI) or work in industry.

Right now I'm thinking of applying to: 

1. Dartmouth EEES
2. Cornell CALS microbiology 
3. UWisconsin (MDTP -- bacteriology/ insect microbiome)
4. Michigan State
5. NC State
6. Penn State Huck Institute of Life sciences
7. UC Davis
8. UMaine
9. UMaryland

Are there any other programs I should consider? I hear plenty of folks tell me where I shouldn't apply ("Yale's a stress cesspool," "Penn State has dated facilities", "UMass Amherst is a mess"), but I'm not sure how much weight to place on these opinions? Any advice?