Hmmmm
Well, I'm not much past that point, anyway. And I kind of consider that magic pill to exist, it's when I put my shoes in the rack before class.
With every technique, I do exactly what I did from my second class onward (first class was just rolls/falls): I watch my sensei's feet twice, then his hands once, then ukemi once. Repeat if there's more than four demo's. Then I get up and try to do what I just saw. I've never NOT seen something new, with any instructor, with any technique.
My belt is a bit softer so stays tied longer now, but I wouldn't mind going back to my beginner days of taping it to stay closed.
My ukemi -- sigh -- is not much different. I'm the type most hate
, who never had pain in her rolls and loved breakfalls from the moment I first tried them. The drawback is, I don't see much improvement when I look at how I was and how I am... pain is a great motivator to dramatic improvement.
So I'd say if you saw me then and see me now, not much difference... but it has not been that long anyway.