Statistics PhD suggestions

[Statsi]

Hi, I'm looking for a statistics PhD programs in US. I'm basically interested in mathematical statistics, probability theory and high dimensional statistics. However due to mediocre GPA I think I should also apply for the programs in the mid-range. I think in alignment with my research interests, excluding the top departments, UC Davis(Hans Muller) and Rutgers(Cun Hui Zhang and some of AP's are very impressive in my opinion) and Minnesota(Hui Zou) is quite a strong department in the mid-range programs.

Do you have any other programs that come to mind? Thank you for any suggestions!

[Sstat]

It will be hard to tell if you don’t share your profile. However, the schools you listed are not even the mid range schools. They are quite selective even for the qualified students.

[bayessays]

To add to Sstat, I'm not exactly sure what you're asking for.  You pointed out highly ranked programs' elite professors (these are like 3 of the biggest names in statistics) - so even if you get into one of these programs, it would not be guaranteed you could work with that one specific person and that would be a risky decision.  Also, those people's research interests are totally different.  If you're that flexible, you'll find people doing similar research at almost every single program in the top 70 on US News.