Yeah BigDK is right. You have to fairly serious about transferring if you want a good chance in getting the course you want. I think you need to do one of two things to stand a good chance
1. Limit your social life
2. Not work
So yeah it is painful. I must admit I did both for the 2nd semester and didn't work at all for the whole year. But then again, I still found it a lot more interesting and easier than the HSC.
I have a few tips for people who want to get good grades and possibly transfer. Firstly, it is better to study throughout the semester and not just cram at the end. To be honest if you do your homework and assignments well then it is really easy. But most people who just want to pass bludge it.
Secondly, work really hard for the first semester. The second semester in most uni courses just builds from the first (even if it doesn't some of the stuff will be revised). Working really in sem 1 actually helps you for the entire degree because you learnt the basics solidly.
Its kinda like how in year 11 nothing counts but for subjects like maths (especially ext 1) it is good to study so if you do ext 1 or 2 in year 12 it becomes a lot easier because your foundation is really strong.