The credit minimum is most likely for the time of matriculation, not application. This is how these requirements are ordinarily presented on college Web sites (although I’d have to see each school’s instructions to confirm). However, transferring to a “top college” is extremely difficult, especially after being in another school for such a short time, even if you have met the course-credit expectation.

If you did not apply to these “top” schools when you were in high school due to poor advising (or other factors) you probably have a better chance of acceptance than if you DID apply and were denied or waitlisted. However, I’d have to know a lot more about your individual circumstances to say for sure.

Meanwhile, you will need very strong grades and extracurriculars at your soon-to-be new school in order to even be in the running as a transfer student to a highly selective college. So as you embark on your college career, try to do as well as you possibly can in the classroom and to engage yourself in campus or community activities as well. You might even discover that, by making these efforts, you will be very happy where you are and may not even want to transfer after all.