Paul
Visit the "administrator" section on forum.solidworks.com. You will find some answers to your hardware questions.
Also, we will begin shipping 2012-2013 SolidWorks Student software to sponsored teams in September. Go to
www.solidworks.com/sponsoreddesigncontest and fill out an application for your team.
If you are just looking for something now to get you through the summer, go to
www.facebook.com/solidworkseducation and apply to receive the SolidWorks Summer edition. This will help get you started and good design tips too. If you feel strong enough to take the CSWA exam, send me a PM on CD and I will send you a code.
With all those AP classes, learning SolidWorks this summer is a good idea. I would also review math now too.
Strong math skills in algebra, trig, geometry will help you with calculus and physics (I taught all of these). Try basic skills with no calculator. On line you can find old AP exam questions so you can start to understand the test format.
Happy summer.
Marie