<p>I take a different tack here, and I say it really depends on your needs. I see getting a PhD as a means to an end, and you only do it if you can do it the way YOU want to do it, on YOUR terms. Otherwise, it’s too misery-producing and too uncertain.</p>
<p>Is it really important to you to be an archaeologist, and you know that that is the career that you really want? Do you really want a PhD in archaeology in general, and you just think this program is the best of many good choices? If that’s the case, then you REALLY need to apply to more than one program. Don’t take assurances from anyone as fact, especially if they are not written down. Nobody is in until they are in - the dean may have said that to several other students who are good candidates. Thinking someone “should have no problem” is different from saying “You are definitely in and this is just a formality.”</p>
<p>I also agree with cosmicfish - you need to make an informed choice. Being an undergrad is different from being a grad. What if the department is dysfunctional? What if the person you want to work with leaves between now and when you apply? What if the funding they offer you is crappy? You need several good choices so you can be sure you are not choosing them just because they are your only choice.</p>
<p>But. If you do your due diligence and there is no one else who does your obscure research than a particular handful of scholars at that one program; you know that the funding and department is decent for all students; and you would rather not get a PhD at all than attend a different school…<em>shrug</em> then I don’t see a problem with limiting yourself to one program. For a variety of reasons I only applied to one PhD program when I applied - the story is a bit more nuanced than that, but the simplistic version is that at that part of my studies this program was the only program that fit my needs and the only PhD program I was willing to attend at that particular time. BUT I also knew that if I didn’t like the department, or didn’t get enough funding, or there was no one for me to work with that I would turn down the offer and try again after my master’s.</p>