I only just started my degree apprenticeship so I might update as time passes.Some things I can tell you:
1. It's very hard to get in. Often you're up against people with better qualifications, more experience or better interview skills. You need to learn how to outshine them if you want to stand a chance. No half-assed efforts will get you a degree apprenticeship because the competition is so high.
2. Prepare for 40 hours a week.This was a slight shock to me, going from the meek 12 hours of my BTEC to over 40 hours of work and study. There are different arrangements for this of course. You might be on block release or day release, or might even spend the entire first year at college or uni before going to your company. The exact hours will depend on your contract and timetable (for example, I'm contracted to work 39 hours per week. I'm at college for about 43, but instead of getting the 15 30 minute breaks I would get at work, I get about 1.5 hours).
3. Humble yourself but be confident.You will go to your company and you will understand **** all. You have to ask questions - they know you're new, they know you're inexperienced. Don't be scared to look stupid. You're there to learn.
4. Travel.Be very mindful of where you choose to do your apprenticeship because believe me, travelling for 3-4 hours a day will kill you within a couple weeks. It might even be smart to think about relocating. Also keep in mind that the company and your training provider are unlikely to be located in the same place, so your travel times will differ.
5. Work-life balance.This might take you a while to get a hang of. You leave in the morning, you come back in the evening. Where do you fit your friends, family, hobbies, gym etc? That's up to you to resolve. I've been doing my degree apprenticeship for over 4 months now and I'm only getting a hang of how much time and when I can afford to spend on whom and what. For example, I know that if I go out for a drink on a Wednesday because that's coctail night at my favourite bar, I know I absolutely can't go over a certain limit and have to get myself into bed by max 12 - otherwise I will be dead the next day which is my longest day of the week (9am-8pm). Your company might also offer you the possibility of overtime. Once again, up to you to test and decide how much you can take and is it worth it.
6. You have to work hard.This should be a no-brainer. Degree apprenticeships are hard. I am doing the same workload as uni students in a fraction of the time they get (I only get one day for uni lectures, plus they have to fit 6 subjects into that time frame over the course of the year). I get much less time with the lecturers, and essentially less time to do my assignments (since you know, the 40 hours per week travel). This brings me to my next point.
7. Organise your time well.Do not - I repeat - DO NOT leave your assignments for the last minute before the deadline. Sometimes you will run into trouble, whether that be some technical problems (e.g. I had to use Microsoft Project which I didn't have access to) or sometimes it might be an issue with the brief (the questions are phrased in a way that might not necessearily be clear) or your own skills and knowledge (not knowing or remembering how to do something). You don't want to run into any of these problems 2 hours before you're suppose to submit the paper. Is it possible to pull of a good assignment the night before? Absolutely. I wrote a report worth a quarter of my final grade the night before submission. Finished it at 3 am, sent it to the prof and passed out. I created an entire powerpoint on something I had no idea about 2 hours before presenting it. I got 85%. So it is do-able, but only if you get lucky. And the sheer stress it will give you is just not worth it. Do your assignments on time. If you run into any issues you can always ask your prof (preferably) or your classmates.
8. Much bonding with people from your company but not outsiders.You will be put in groups with people from other companies. And whilst I'm not saying you shouldn't or can't befriend them, everyone mostly stick to the people from their own company. That's the same people that might mentor you or help you resolve problems you might be facing so it's important to be on good terms with them.