<p>From what little I know about the field, I think you’ve gotten good advice so far. Anthropology is the most sensible major for your interests. European countries maintain a tight grip on their sites, and European scholars are very capable of excavating sites in their own countries, so it is quite rare for an American scholar to focus on Europe instead of, say, West Africa or Polynesia. It is therefore unlikely to matter much where you go as long as your college has a strong program in archaeology, since your best bet for getting coursework in European archaeology is spending a semester or two abroad. </p>
<p>Things to look for in a good archaeology program are
– Size - you need at least three archaeologists for critical mass
– Dig opportunities - Do faculty members run their own digs? What funding is there for excavating? Does the department offer a field school?
– A variety of cultural courses - "Mayan Culture and Archaeology, “North American Archaeology,” “World Prehistory,” etc.
– A variety of technical courses - GIS, zooarchaeology, botanical analysis, lithic analysis, etc.
– Special facilities - archaeological collections, anthropology museum, archaeology labs, etc.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to consider languages. Europe has been a very diverse place over the ages with a lot of different cultures and languages. You might need Greek and especially Latin for some things (e.g. studying the Celts/Gauls), whereas German and its relatives would be more suitable for other things. Old Irish or other Celtic languages would be helpful if you’re interested in Britain specifically, but you’re unlikely to find that at the undergraduate level. As a bare minimum, look for colleges with strong German and classics departments. </p>
<p>I agree with the others; much depends on your stats and what you want in terms of size, location, financial aid, feel/atmosphere, etc.</p>