Re NYU, which on the face if it doesn’t sound like what your D is looking for (my D is there and hated Brandeis on sight fwiw, but I digress) but because you’ve stated it as an option - I don’t know anything about the anthro department but you can certainly make NYU feel smaller through a LLC and/or a smaller department like liberal studies (max class size is 25 students) or Gallatin. Not sure how LS would fit her intended major (it might do it pretty well, she should take a look at the LS core curriculum) but Gallatin is pretty much a design-your-own-curriculum school and that might work very well for her by the sounds of things.
Applying to LS or - with an especially carefully crafted why NYU essay - to Gallatin - could also make NYU more of a target than a reach school. (While CAS has a 7% admit rate, LS is thought to be in the 20s, and Gallatin will be very dependent on how well she shows them she’ll use the individualized curriculum.)