@ljberkow : I imagine that professor is great! But I am just saying the difference won’t be in difficulty. You probably won’t find much differences among sections in terms of difficulty in these classes (subtle differences in perception of ease may come from better teaching). If she is the best, than that is what it is. I advocate for choosing instructors based on that, especially with the line-up the OP has. Intro. and intermediate language classes use the same learning methods and assignments.
If they placed in a 300 level language course, then more care should be taken for a freshmen, because those instructors get much more freedom and could “let loose”. That is really what I am trying to say. Much like financial accounting and Decision Analytics, 100-200 level language courses are pretty highly “regulated” and curated within each department if you know what I mean. And you are right in that the work is usually straight forward for those so grading is pretty fair/reflects however you performed (lots of assignments with more “right or wrong” style items).
With the currrent classes, OP should chill, choose the best teachers possible, and do the best they can. No need for this amount of anxiety. I understand it, but they should live a little and try to believe they can do well and enjoy themselves. I believe they can in this scenario without contriving too much. They’ll be alright.