College Funding

As a graduating senior, college is swiftly approaching. With all the excitement and new opportunities it brings, college is expensive. There is no way around that fact. As a Christian looking to head into the ministry, private colleges are in the forefront of my search which makes my scholarship searching that much more necessary and crucial. No student should have to pay for college out of their own pocket, as well as any parent. Scholarships are out there for all who are willing to put in the work and research and time into finding them.
California Baptist University is at the top of my list for colleges that I wish to attend. They offer multiple scholarships that are applicable to me. The first scholarship that I will apply for is called the Federal Pell Grant. This is a federal program that awards scholarships based on the financial need of the student. Although, the financial need is there for ever student, this may not allow me to gain tons of money. Secondly, I am applying for is the Cal Grant. This grant is based on GPA and academics of the student's high school career. My academics are solid enough to allow me to receive a decent amount of money from the state of California in this grant. I will soon be filling out a FAFSA form to receive this grant.
CBU offers academic and athletic scholarships, as do most colleges. Thus, I will be searching and asking for those opportunities to be given. The Presidential scholarship is awarded to students with a 3.75 cumulative GPA and a 1,100 SAT score. I will be taking the SAT for the second time on November 6 to improve my score in hopes of receiving the Presidential scholarship. Athletic scholarships are also available, which is why I am practicing hard on the golf course to hopefully earn money for golf. I have spoken several times with the golf coach and have had conversations about scholarship money, which may be awarded at a later time.
Also at CBU, there is money available for BAT majors. The BAT program is the Bachelors of Applied Theology program that trains and prepares young men to become pastors. this is my desired field and I will hopefully receive scholarship money in that program. A friend of mine just received 15,000 dollars from the BAT program this year.
With some time still left on my plate, scholarship searching is getting more and more intense. I am still searching for more because of the obvious need for college funding. Nobody needs to wholly pay for college, but the student must work for the money that he may earn scholarships to be able to pay for college.