Seminary shopping

[Nicky P.]

Hello all, this is another one of those "what are my chances in such and such school" posts but I would very much like some contructive advice from people who have some knowledge of seminaries. I will soon be entering my spring semester of my junior year as an undergraduate and am beginning to try to narrow the field of possible seminaries I would like to apply to. I am a Methodist and aspire to be a Methodist pastor so I am predominately looking into the 12 or 13 Methodist affiliated seminaries in the US. I currently have a cumulative GPA of 3.6. I also have a professor who has 40 years plus teaching experience who is a Duke alumni and has said he believes he can get me into any seminary I want. Currently, I am very attracted by Duke Divinity School, Boston University School of Theology, and Candler. These seem to be the "big 3" of Methodist seminaries. However, I'm curious if I would possible be a serious candidate for Yale Divinity School. The admissions process for Ivy League institutions seem to be basically shrouded in secrecy as far as I can tell so some direction on that front would be appreciated. I have very little to offer experience wise. I have never attended, much less taken a leadership role in the Methodist group on campus. I do currently serve as Young Adult Coordinator for my church which I am very active in, but I don't know how much that is worth. So, if some people could please provide me with some tips for what I can do my last three semesters to be competitve for these instituions, I would be most appreciative. Thanks!