My advice if you actually paid down the cards that quickly would be to start an emergency savings rather seek new credit.
IMO this is the most sensible response. There's a lot of emphasis on amassing credit here, but if you can't afford to pay back what you owe, you're just digging yourself in deeper.
I would think that rather than lots of cards and a high credit line, and a just OK score, a few cards with utilization percentage within the range of the cards (4-5 percent rather than < 1 percent) will yield you a much higher score, so when you need a personal loan -- whose interest rate is LOWER than credit cards to start with -- you'll be in a more favorable position to be approved.
