<p>Ok, here we go..... My daughter thinks that she might want to be an anthropolgy major. How do we go about finding really good anthropology departments? The only thing we know for sure at this point in time is that she doesn't want to go to a big school!</p>
<p>Columbia anthropologists Franz Boas and Margaret Mead practically invented the discipline as we know it today. The department here is still excellent, though admittedly I could not tell you if other schools fare better.</p>
<p>Are you an anthropology major?</p>
<p>upenn and uchicago (although not exactly "small schools") have two of the best anthropology departments in the country</p>
<p>I think she doesn't want to be in a city either.</p>
<p>She has gone to visit William and Mary and Princeton and can really see herself at either school. As an oos girl you never know if they will let you into W&M and Pton is never a sure thing. Does anyone know if they have good anthropology departments?</p>
<p>How do you know that uchicago, upenn and columbia have good programs? How do I find this information too? We are very new to this college search.</p>
<p>They have a foreign study program in New Zealand, and if she's interested in Archaeology, the Classics trip to Greece does some of that.</p>
<p>Thank you for the link to Dartmouth. I will pass this on to her. I think she might be interested in historical archaeolgy.</p>
<p>Brown University by far, definitely must look into Brown, excellent anthropology and arguably the best archeology program in the country.</p>
<p>I would also check out Emory, but w/o question Brown should be on your D's list.</p>
<p>Is Brown one of those schools that you must be in the top 3% to even stand a chance?</p>
<p>At the undergraduate level, it's difficult to definitively say which are better. The closest indication of this perhaps is to look at the graduate rankings and see thereby the quality of professors/grad students attracted by such departments, which has a trickle down effect to some degree. Unfortunately, such rankings can vary significantly and their relation to the undergraduate program is still iffy. </p>
<p>Ergo, it depends on one's standard of judgment. If your daughter hates the city I would advise against Columbia. My opinion of its anthro department is based on classes taken, reputation of the department and professors, and prominence within the university. I would concede that Chicago's is probably a better program and in a much less intense, though nonetheless still urban environment.</p>
<p>Midwestandcrazy, are you speaking of their egyptology program?</p>
<p>I will have to make her look at "city schools" I think that she would thrive being near all the action. I know that it would be silly to go to a school because you might want to major in a subject two years from now however She is coming at this after spending the summer at a dig.</p>
<p>If archaeology is her real interest and not anthropology, I would also recommend against Columbia, which doesn't have a real archaeology program like Brown or Penn do.</p>
<p>No, she will be in the top 10% of her high school class but not in the top 5% or top3%.</p>
<p>she thinks more options might be open to people who do undergrad in anthro not archaeology. I'm not sure where that idea came from.</p>
<p>I looked at the Brown page and she might be able to get into that school. So I will have her look into Brown as well.</p>
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she thinks more options might be open to people who do undergrad in anthro not archaeology. I'm not sure where that idea came from.
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<p>This is true, but if your daughter's passion is archaeology, she would not be as well served taking classes in anthro as perhaps in art history or history in general. Anthropology involves studying living people rather than making inferences from physical objects- the nature of it is much different.</p>
<p>I really do think the passion might be for archaeology. Last year she talked about architectural archaeology for several months. I wonder if my post should have asked the question- what schools have great archaeology programs?</p>