Research four-year schools to find one you wish to attend. Talk to guidance counselors at your community college and make appointments with college recruiters. Find a four-year school with a solid program in the subject you wish to major in. Check tuition costs to make sure the school is within your price range.
Make sure the chosen school will accept transfer credits from the community college you attend. Not every four-year college or university will accept every course from every community college. Thus many students end up retaking classes they already took at their community college, costing them time and money. This can be avoided by choosing a transfer school early and then only taking classes you know will transfer. One of the best ways to guarantee credits will transfer is to choose a school that has a reciprocal agreement with the community college. Most community colleges have arrangements with individual four-year schools that allow all of their classes to transfer to that institution. This allows students to take whatever classes they want, knowing the credits will transfer.
Meet with an advisor from the cooperating school. Do not rely completely on advisors from the community college. Most four-year schools have experts who deal exclusively with transfer issues. Meeting with them is even more important when transferring to a school that does not have a reciprocal agreement with the community college. It is a simple process that can save you from taking classes that will not transfer.
Check the grade needed for the four-year school to accept each class for transfer. Just because a school accepts a class for transfer does not mean it will accept a class in which the student received a poor grade. There may also be different grade criteria for accepting general education courses and classes within the expected major.