Hello, all, I am a senior in college discerning about the seminary application process with the goal of becoming a chaplain. I'm staring down at that January 15 application deadline and getting scared, so I'd like to have a final list of schools soon. I'm interested in Bible-based programs in/near a city that emphasize public theology. I was raised with a mix of different denominations, so am open to most seminary affiliations that aren't fundamentalist or Catholic.
I'm not sure if I'm qualified enough to get in, but my dream school would be Union Theological Seminary in NYC. I like that it is a training ground for faith-based activism, the urban campus location, and that it offers a Theology and Arts concentration in the MDiv. But I know it's not good to pin your hopes on one school, so I'd like to hear about similar institutions. Drew, McCormick, and Garret pique my interest - does Fuller also fit what I'm looking for? I also have United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities on my radar since it seems to meet my wishlist while having a higher acceptance rate (?). Although my GPA is alright, I have a messy transcript (I transferred schools and took five years for undergrad) so I've rules out the elites like Yale/Princeton/Duke/Harvard/Vanderbilt/UChicago. I appreciate your help, thanks for reading!