Personally I have really enjoyed the challenges of the first year. I found the online FirstClass community a far more central core of the whole experience than I thought I would. My advise to Cohort 3 would be to take part in the "threaded" conversations there early on. It made me feel very much part of the "family." Living overseas as I do at the moment, this feeling of belonging was, and still is, very important to me.
Immerse yourselves and ENJOY!