catcatcatdog

Just to follow up on this -- I've gotten several PMs based on this post, both from the original poster and others, so I thought I'd open it up and say that of course anyone is welcome to PM me about my background, application experiences, etc, whether interested in Princeton or not! It's so lovely to hear from all of you.

Why, hello! I'm a current PhD student in anthropology at Princeton, and I'd be happy to exchange PMs about my experiences here so far. To answer your initial questions: 1) Like you, I also saw Princeton's spot on the NRC anthropology rankings and was a bit concerned as to whether I should apply -- but the NRC rankings aren't really official rankings like you might have for economics PhD programs; they're more a range of various assessments -- and so they carry considerably less weight. I think at this level, especially in anthropology, it's less about department rankings and institutional prestige (though these things obviously still matter), and more about who is on your committee, if you are working with the top people in your particular areas of anthropological interest, etc -- they will link you into the circles you want/need to be in, regardless of institutional affiliation. For what it's worth, all of my other PhD offers were NRC top 10 schools, and I have no regrets about turning them down for Princeton, because it was such a good fit for my interests and had such productive scholars working on things I was curious about (also, I don't think a four-field program is more prestigious than a school with a strictly sociocultural program -- I have actually heard the opposite from several people [but everyone's got their opinion...])!). Also, Princeton stipends are one of, if not the best, funding packages in anthropology. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the inner workings of the admissions process, so I can't speak to how many applicants they get, but recent incoming cohorts have ranged from 5-10 people. 2) I think it's very rare to have 6 people on a committee, but the more faculty members you can mention in your SOP, the better (as long as the connection between your interests and theirs is substantial rather than superficial)! I mentioned four in mine, and also reached out to them during the admissions process -- feel free to do the same. Any fit you can demonstrate -- theoretical, ethnographic, methodological -- should help your case. 3) From what I've seen, a master's is by no means necessary, so no sweat about "just" a BA, but I think most students here had some sort of fieldwork experience before applying, often in a less structured environment than a field school (I can share my academic/research background with you via PM). Princeton is the sort of department that seems open to students switching fieldwork locations, but it's nice to show admissions committees, if you can, that you've done more than armchair anthropology in class. Hope that's somewhat helpful -- feel free to PM!