Community college then a four year university? How does that work?

[Shannon!]

Because money is tight in my household right now, I was thinking about putting off university this fall until the spring so I can be eligible for scholarships that I missed because of applying later than I should have. But, I don't want to sit around the house all day for the next six months when I could be getting a few college credits from my local community college. How exactly would I go about transferring from a community college after six months to a four year institution? Could I do that? Would attending there for 6 months get me enough credits to save a bit of money? Oh, and I got rejected from a really good school that's known for giving out a large financial aid package. Could I reapply there after attending a few months of community college and doing really well (as I plan too)? My GPA in high school was only a 3.2 because I slacked off freshman year. Would I be able to reapply to Case Western Reserve University (the really good school I got rejected from) come January of next year?