Twenty years ago when I went through initial training, it followed basically the same format - in terms of simulator training. It's always been about approaches, approaches, and more approaches, V1 cuts, abnormal and emergency procedures - with some steep turns and approaches to stalls mixed in. The the sim training has ALWAYS been very fast paced and I learned early on that if I wanted to succeed, I had to know all of the procedures and Memory items COLD. As one instructor said to me once, if you can be asleep and half drunk, and I wake you up asking for a procedure or memory item, you need to be able to spout it off right then and there. If you can't, you aren't prepared enough. The way I have always done this (and still do), is by going over the procedures in my hotel room (or anywhere quiet) sitting in a chair with my eyes closed. Over and over again. And again. So many times, that I live, breath, and dream procedures. It works every time - and I've been through countless long and short term programs over the years, in everything from the 19 seat Jetstream to the Saab 340, The ATR, and the Embraer RJ. I tend to be a loner during training, simply because I don't want any distractions at all.

I can't overstate this enough. You have time in your hotel room. Take a seat in a chair, close your eyes, and chair fly the procedures over and over, verbally making every call required (by both pilots, btw, that way it flows better). Move your hands and feet as if you were actually in the plane. Know your checklists (I don't mean memorize them, I mean be familiar with them). All of this works. It may not be fun, but it is required of you in order to be successful in training.

As for getting comfortable in the simulator, take the opportunity to hand fly it as much as possible during climbout, level off, etc. The more hands on stick time you get, the better you'll feel about it. By the way, the airplane is significantly easier to fly than the simulator, so if you can get a handle on the sim, the airplane will be cake.

Try to maintain a good attitude. The learning curve is STEEP and intense. No doubt about it. Always has been, btw. Try not to have an "I'm smarter than you" attitude, even if only known to yourself.

Then, when you get to IOE, be prepared to be somewhat overwhelmed again, at least for a while, as you get comfortable with the pace and workload of airline line flying. I was a Line Check Airman for a few years and worked almost exclusively with the new men and women coming straight out of their checkrides.