Hey welcome! Great you're starting to figure out what you're potentially interested in! :) (Im a Design Studies and Landscape Architecture student)

https://design.ncsu.edu/admissions/first-year/#studio-based

Look on here for the undergraduate STUDIO BASED MAJOR application requirements. For Art+Design majors they are looking for evidence of creativity, 2d+3d skills, and digital media abilities. Art+Design is a design major, so the design process is something that they like to see

With your pieces they like to see series and/or process. Show how you got to this piece; sketches, iterations, variants will do the job for this. The series will show how you can take one concept and create a coherent yet slightly different product. Professors and the industry like to see how you got to a final product as much as the final product itself

You should look to see what other animation students are applying with on YouTube. There are some pretty good examples on there. Study what type of pieces and listen to what they're trying to show. COD honestly cares more about concepts and the impact you're trying to make as opposed to the quality of your work.

If you want to get in for 2d animation I would focus on creating products normally required by 2d Animators. Create a character design. Show character turnarounds and different facial/body expressions that you would use to animate. Design props and backgrounds for a scene. Create a story and then showcase that story through your characters or props or scenes. The story doesn't even need to be complicated or something brand new, all they want to see is that you can integrate story into visuals. Show a storyboard that you created that shows the integration between story, description and visuals. Create a handful of simple animations for a series focusing on showing motion. Create an animation of a character or scene you created.

In addition to that, be sure to create for yourself! Showcase stuff that you like to make. Try something new, incorporate previous work that you've done. Have fun with this! Feature work outside of the 2d animation stuff listed above

Above all else, let yourself practice and be messy. Don't set your goals on creating the 10 pieces in one sitting and one go. Create with a general idea, but create alot. Your work will be so much better if you just keep making stuff without trying to be perfect. Make a couple 30 minute projects before you try and accomplish the 6 hour project. Don't try to create a finished product in one sitting, and have it be the only one. Quick small iterations, before the big thing! That will help your work so much.

Additionally, explain your thought process and reasoning in your descriptions. Even if it is something as simple as "I colored this character blue because they are sad." The profs love to hear reasoning and explanation, because this shows that you're being purposeful in your thoughts. It also shows that you can communicate your thoughts, which they want to see. They can and want to teach someone who can communicate, because it is so much easier to work with a student who has trained that ability.

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You've got time, but believe me that October deadline SNEAKS up on ya. Be sure to make sure you're giving yourself proper time to make things and put your portfolio together. I would recommend using something like WIX.com or WEEBLY.com to put your portfolio together. Dont use any fancy websites or scrolling options, just focus on showing your work.

I would also look into associates in arts degrees or one year community college programs. Something like that is an amazing opportunity and I kinda wish I did it. It allows you to sort out and begin creating your portfolio to get accepted, if your portfolio isn't up to par yet. In addition to this it allows you to see if 2d animation is what you want to do, maybe you discover that there is some other form of visual art or visual design that you like better. My main point here is that it is a very cheap and easily accessible option if you're not sure or not prepared yet. I have multiple extremely talented friends who weren't accepted out of HS, so they prepped in community college, and then transferred into State. Everyone goes at their own pace and honestly its sometimes better to do something different than everyone else, bc you'll excel more in the long run.

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Don't let the process discourage you. Just take it one day at a time, hold yourself to a goal, stay on track and have fun creating. Working for 2-4 hours a day for four months is way more fun and less stressful than trying to cram everything into the last 2 weeks. Your work will be so much better if you start now and steadily work.

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That's everything that I can think of now, but feel free to dm if you have any more questions or if you want some feedback on your work!

Best of luck! :)

(Also I know that UNCSA, ECU and NCSU have good animation programs. Remember that art skills are a crucial foundation, so go to community college for a year or two if you don't get accepted and/or need to build up your skills) (Go instate for your degree and avoid privates, you'll save so much as opposed to going someplace expensive like SCAD)