The hardest (and most valuable) thing about college is that it is 100% up to you to succeed. You have to take full responsibility for showing up to class, doing the readings, turning essays in on time, etc. And just because you go to a CC does not mean you won’t be getting a quality education. I was a bit embarrassed at first to be going to a CC, but I’ve had an amazing experience and it was the smartest decision I made out of high school.
First, don’t get discouraged if you don’t transfer in two years. I did it in three, but it’s only made my experience all the more richer. Do you plan to work and go to school full time? They say 20 hrs/wk of studying for every 12 units, but if you need to make ends meet it’s not impossible to work more than 20 hours. Personally, I worked everywhere between 15-30 hours/wk while going to school and made it work. It took a lot of dedication and perseverance, but I’m sure it looked impressive on my application.
Don’t worry if you take some general eds and find out you’re more passionate about physics than psych. Everybody changes majors. But if psych is your intended major, don’t let the stats discourage you. I was admitted to UCLA’s comm department, which has about a 10% acceptance rate and I don’t have a 4.0.
Make sure your ECs are relevant to what you are interested in and try and take leadership roles. If possible, join the honor’s program at your CC. If you finish the certification, you can get TAP certified which allows you to choose a second major at UCLA and gives you priority at other schools.
Like @kamiture said, don’t spend all your loan money at once. Take out only what you need and not a penny more. Only spend it on tuition and books and rent if you need to. If you work while going to school, save, save, save, SAVE! It’ll come in handy once you transfer.
A note about books: while they are important, I’ve had classes where we didn’t open the book once and I still got an A. If you can’t afford the book, it’s probably on reserve at your school’s library or can be found online or rent from Amazon.
Professors can make all the difference in whether you like a class or not. Read reviews on ratemyprofessor before signing up for class but read it with a grain of salt. Assist is a like a pocket counselor, literally saved my life when I changed my major the semester I applied.
Most of all, just have a good time! CC can be a very enriching experience if you allow it. Have fun and party once in a while if you want! College is about developing yourself, but also about learning how to interact with others.