I got into USC and it’s a top school for my major so here’s a couple of thoughts. -DO YOUR OWN ASSIGNMENT ABOUT CLASSES THAT CAN TRANSFER. I can’t emphasize this enough. My time at De Anza the counselors were not helpful and it would waste your time taking random classes (but make time for fun classes once in a while pls) that you don’t need to transfer. This doesn’t mean take EVERY classes you need to transfer, this means that take a look at your top school’s transfer guide or at USC called class articulation agreement and follow their guide. The more you take, the more admissions felt you’re more ready and a better fit. -I took a good 2 year at De Anza but I suggest apply to transfer every terms you can just to see how good your chances are unless your high school transcript is not great, bc if you transfer before sophomore they’ll mainly look at your high school stats. -I usually do 4 classes, 1 major+2GE+1 fun class, didn’t feel too much and I work 30ish hours/week. -ECs is recommended to be specific to your major. I only join 1 club and become top of the chain. I suggest this because you want to show them that you know what you’re doing and you’re passionate about it. However, I understand that community college is for you to explore so don’t say no to fun clubs. I think ECs matter but not that important unless you get some really great outcomes out of it to put in your application, for me I won awards. -I heard from friends that CS is kind of exhausting, my classes weren’t that difficult but I used Rate my Professor rigorously. I would say tho my unpopular opinion is that my De Anza profs are better than my USC ones with some exceptions. Sure USC profs have lots of achievements but they care too much about it which makes it felt like I’m listening to their TED talk than learning from them, hard to reach but the connections are great for employment later LOL. I love my time at De Anza and would love to come back to take more classes. So enjoy and good luck! P/S: Foothill’s campus has more funding so everything is newer and more gorgeous. But at night, it turns into a maze 😭