Let me answer you this way. When I went to seminary, I wanted to learn how to be an effective apologist. So I initially thought I should specialize in Philosophy of Religion and Systematic Theology. But as I studied in seminary, I soon realized that most evangelical apologists are not familiar enough with modern biblical scholarship and, for that reason, are not taken seriously by the best Bible scholars. That's when I realized I needed to specialize in Scripture with a primary concentration on New Testament, Judaism, and Greco-Roman backgrounds. Generally, the best NT scholarship is found in academic journals rather than books because these journals generally go into greater depth and consider more alternative interpretations than scholarly books. So I'd advise new seminarians to research topic titles in these journals as a primary basis for research papers.
If I were dealing with a new Christian, I'd probably recommend he immerse himself in C. S. Lewis's books, not for their depth, but for their clarity and well-written style. My primary advice to new seminarians is to visit the campus prior to admission and rely more on student feedback than admissions and professorial advice. I say this because some of the most prolific Bible scholars spend all their time in research for books and articles and seem to regard course teaching as a necessary evil. You will hear that only from students.
I initially attended Fuller Seminary in Pasadena because I'd heard it was the best evangelical seminary. I soon became disillusioned (1) because my burning doubts and questions encountered hostility from fellow students and faculty and (2) because there was too much busy work. Afte a year at Fuller, I transferred to Princeton because I knew I'd get to take courses requiring research papers that gave me the chance to go into greater depth on my issues and to write a 150 page research thesis on a cutting edge issue. I also found the evangelical students at Princeton to be more mature and eager to discuss and explore biblical issues in original ways than their Fuller counterparts. I had a couple of spectacular spiritual experiences at Princeton, which I may share in a thread on the role of spiritual gifts in my faith journey.