I think your obvious thurst for all things aviation will do you well when it comes to exam time, if you are enthusiastic about the subject then hopefully you shold enjoy the study (try and keep telling yourself that in the middle of the Law exam,.... this is fun.. really)
FSX etc is fine, if you can get some detailed scenery for where your flying it can help with cross countries (try before you buy)make sure the airspace is up todate and espcially instrument practice, as a practical aid, it hopeless.
What ever you do do not try a manouvere in FS and think you can do it in real life with out an instructor, or proper recovery instruction. Wing Loadings don't happen in FSX the same way in real life. Try a loop in a real trainer (PA38, C152) and you may just pull the wings off.
I'm a new PPL just broke 100+ hours and FSX didn't hinder me none.... i still play around on it when its a bit too damp or windy :-)