I'll give you the other side of the coin on that one. You got to where you are by pushing yourself and striving to do more than the people around you. Don't rest on the success of just getting in and being there. Continue to do the things that have led to success in the past. I look at it as a "shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land amongst the stars" situation.
Of course, some times people shooting for the moon land at the front gate, with a ticket home.
I did honors chemistry my 4/c year. It was more in depth than regular chemistry, but it was all 4/c.
Honestly, there's not MUCH movement if you test out/in certain classes. As an upper class I had one or two courses that involved a 3/c cadet or two. Understand if you're in class with upperclass, while you are in a different setting, things are still expected of you. Our very special 3/c had a bit of an issue with pissing his 1/c off in class. Yes, it upset the cadets, but instructors, often, have also "been there" and don't have much patience for it.
That said, I've also taken classes with cadet a year or two ahead of me. I liked it.
The academic buildings do have a different feel to them, and the main focus is learning. It's for a free-for-all experience, but it's certainly not Chase Hall.