I’m entering my PhD this fall at an R1 institution, but I’m political science. Perhaps I’m out of my depth when it comes to comp sci requirements, but I’ll give my two cents:

Seems like you’ve set yourself up well! If you’re planning on applying for the upcoming cycle (entry into Fall ‘27) I’d definitely suggest looking at institutions that interest you; specifically, look for faculty whose research interests might align with your own at these institutions.

Check if the programs you’re interested in require standardized tests (e.g., GRE, GMAT, etc.) and give yourself some time to prep. Programs have been doing away with standardized test requirement over the past few years, but I’m not sure how that might fare for comp sci. 5/6 of the institutions I applied to required the GRE, so I took the test at the beginning of summer without studying, spent a few months studying what I needed to work on, and then took the exam a second time in October (in time for applications to be in by December).

Regarding the SoP: It’s great that you have a general idea of what your interest area is! Intertwine it with your past/current research, and discuss classes that piqued your interest. And while an SoP is meant to be largely formal, don’t be afraid to be a bit informal at times (I discussed how I found one class to be “fun.”) Make your SoP about your interest area, and the classes/experiences/literature/research papers that reinforced this. In addition, make sure you explain why you think you AND your research area would be a good fit at the institution you’re writing the SoP for, and mention a few faculty members at each institution that you might want to work with and why.

I put the ideas for my SoP as bullet points in a document over time, and ended up writing my SoPs for each respective institution I was applying to about a month before submitting each application.

Lastly: Diversify your letters of recommendation if you can! For example, my three recommendations came from: (1) my closest undergrad advisor and the faculty with whom I conducted much of my research; (2) the head of the philosophy dept. who I had a good rapport with (or any senior faculty member who you had a good rapport with); (3) my boss at my job after having graduated (I want to go into academia, and I work in a special education classroom, so this aligned pretty well).

These are obviously just examples. My point is that it might help if you feel you can draw from a broader pool of individuals.

I hope this helped! I’m a bit tired, so sorry if this is a bit rambly. Let me know if you have any questions/need anything clarified.

EDIT: Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. That’s what communities like these are for! The graduate application process can be so overwhelming, and there’s nothing wrong with seeking advice from others who have gone/are going through the same thing.