fundie

I would be transferring to earn my BA if I attended a state university. The heavy cost of postgrad studies is the primary reason why I mentioned money as a concern. I will be ruined if I rack up $ 30,000+ in debt before I even enter a masters program. And I am aware that it is nearly impossible for me to comprehend how conservative I am in the spectrum of belief. I realize that if I did end up in a grad program at a place like HDS in a couple of years, I would have an awful time due to the opposition I would face. However, I find it very difficult to accept the notion that my beliefs are valid without challenging them. My faith is precious to me, but if it can only be preserved (as is) in ignorance, it is not worth keeping. I would like to be challenged by thinkers from a very different perspectives so I can fully own my beliefs. At the grad level, moving is no issue for me. I am not even opposed to leaving North America. My career goal is to land teaching/researching somewhere, probably in Christian liberal arts college (i.e., Northwestern, Calvin, Wheaton, or a similar school).

The first question that I have is fairly simple. For those of you who are familiar with the field, which programs are the best for students interested in church history/historical theology? I am especially interested in the 19-20th century and/or the Reformation era. Part two is a little longer. I am currently a student at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA. (I will spare you the story of my childhood and how/why I ended up at FBBC.) Since starting college at Faith (which is regionally accredited by the HLC), I have developed a distaste for some of the nuances of my theological heritage, and I have an increasing interest in pursuing graduate study in theology in a more intensive academic environment. (I am not trying to be a theological rebel. I simply want to be academically challenged in an environment where some disagreement is acceptable.) I have been taking heavy course loads thus far and have managed to keep up a near perfect GPA (3.99). At this pace, I could graduate from FBBC one year from this coming May with a B.A. in Biblical Studies w/ 12 cr. of Greek and 6 of Hebrew. (I graduated from high school in 2012, but I am taking heavy enough loads to finish a year early) While I think I am compiling as impressive a resume as possible at my current institution, my concern is that no serious graduate program will take my application seriously with a bachelor's degree from a fundamentalist, separatistic Bible college. (While I am still very conservative by the standards of most, I would not apply these labels to myself.) For those of you who are in/around top graduate programs, do you think that I have any chance of getting accepted with a B.A. from Faith? I am also considering spending a 4th year in undergrad at a state university (they're the only other option that I can afford) like the University of Iowa or Iowa State and taking my bachelor's degree there, if it would help increase my odds of success at the grad level. Would either of the outcomes that I have mentioned afford me an opportunity to enter a funded doctoral program in historical theology someday? (I know that I will probably have to earn at least one master's first.) Thanks for any help you can offer!