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uwotm8??

NYU is an awesome place, and you all are going to have a great time. 
 

Are you seriously asking us to do your homework? 

As difficult as this may be, you need to let her do her own thing. It is neither your job nor your place to get her where she wants to be. 
If it is important for her to take a gap year, she needs to figure that out. If it is important for her to get into a great graduate program, again, that is something she needs to figure out. You can support her emotionally and always be there for her, but you are going to drain yourself if you try to do the work required to achieve her goals. 
In short, let her live her own life. If she has goals, she needs to be the one who achieves them. 

Are you seriously asking us to do your homework? 

Are you seriously asking us to do your homework? 

Are you seriously asking us to do your homework? 

Hey! 
I just graduated from Purdue with a BS in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology and starting my Ph.D this summer. You should PM me so I can better advise you about what courses you should take and whatnot. Boiler up!  

I am not in this field, so take my advice lightly. 
It is my understanding that research in the humanities is more about aligning interests. When you apply, they will look at your research experience and future goals to see if you are a good fit. So I would not stay for another degree if it will not make you a better fit for the program in mind. If you are wanting to do bibliographic studies of Shakespeare, then an extra degree in History is worthless. But if you are interested in 16th-century England through the lens of Shakespeare, then having both an English degree and a History degree is probably required. 
In short, humanities degrees seem much more narrow. If your future work will employ the knowledge conferred by the additional degree, then it will be a positive addition. 
Good luck! 

I knew someone would take issue with that comment. My general point stands: only take additional coursework if it will benefit your future work in some way. 

I knew someone would take issue with that comment. My general point stands: only take additional coursework if it will benefit your future work in some way. 

First off, your stats are great! Your GPA is more than adequate and you have plenty of research experience. Just keep up the good work, and you will definitely be competitive for many top schools. 
In my opinion, the most important thing for a strong application is three to four outstanding LORs. If you have just one bad LOR, that will tank your entire application. Make sure you are building good relationships with your PIs at every stage. You will need your current PI and the PIs from your two internships to write strong LORs for you. I would also have a professor with whom you took more than one course write one. If you do this, then theoretically you are solid. 
Now for the hard part: top tier schools are random. You can never be sure where you will get in. You might have the best application, but the person reading your application is in a bad mood, so you get a rejection from Stanford. This happens often. Because of this, apply widely. Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and Yale are good top tier choices, but also do mid-tier schools and a safety school. What you do not want is to be empty handed in April. 
Finally, do not do a Masters. This is a waste of time and money, in my opinion. If you do not get into a good enough school the first time, take a gap year, work in biotech, retake the GRE if necessary, then go at it again. If your GPA is around a 3.5 and you have as much research experience as you have, you only need around a 310 combined GRE to be okay. 
Relax. You will be fine. Keep up the good work and stay interested in your research. 
Good luck! 

Experience outweighs GPA and GRE, without doubt. You can get into a top graduate program with low stats if you have strong enough LORs and enough research experience. 
If I were in your position, I would take two years off to work in a biotech lab where you are getting paid. Look at it this way: graduate programs want students who are prepared to work. If you have two years of experience in a real job in which you work rigid hours, you will be much more attractive to top graduate schools. 
Save your money, work for two years in a biotech lab, then apply to a wide range of programs (a safety, two mid-tiers, and some top-tiers). 
Good luck!