BELLANCA PLT ENTERS UNFORECAST IMC; BECOMES OVERWHELMED AND DISORIENTED.

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I CHOSE A DAY OF FORECAST VMC WX FOR MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY IN A NEW ACFT WHILE UNDER AN INST FLT PLAN. ALTHOUGH THE WX WAS CLR; I THOUGHT THE EXPERIENCE WOULD HELP ME DEVELOP THE SKILL SET REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMS; TERMINOLOGY; VARIABLES AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE REAL SYS. UPON REACHING THE FINAL HR OF FLT; ATC ADVISED ME OF A RTE CHANGE AND I ATTEMPTED TO COPY THE CHANGE WHILE RAPIDLY ENTERING IMC. THE IMC WAS NOT FORECAST AND CONSISTED OF A LAYER OF CUMULUS AT 4000 FT WITH RAIN AND VISIBILITY OF LESS THAN 1/4 MI. IT WAS CLR BELOW 2000 FT. IN AN ATTEMPT TO ENTER NEW ROUTING; OBEY VECTORS AND DSCNTS; I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN COURSE HDGS WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED VALUES AND REGULARLY FLEW EITHER ABOVE OR BELOW THE ASSIGNED ALT. DURING FINAL VECTORS TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE I WAS ULTIMATELY SATURATED MENTALLY THAT I FLEW THROUGH THE APCH COURSE AND HAD TO BE VECTORED BACK FOR A SECOND ATTEMPT. I BELIEVE I WAS PREPARED FOR LESS OF AN INTRODUCTORY FLT; AND WOULD HAVE PERFORMED WELL IF THE DSCNT HAD BEEN A SIMPLE STRAIGHT IN THROUGH THE LAYER. MY INABILITY TO FIND THE INTXNS ON THE CHART QUICKLY; CORRECTING FOR ALT AND HDG EXCURSIONS AND CONSTANTLY REASSURING ATC THAT I WAS AWARE OF MY ERRORS AND NOT FULLY IGNORANT QUICKLY PUT ME BEHIND THE ACFT. THIS WAS AGAIN COMPOUNDED BY THE LITTLE TIME I'VE HAD TO MASTER THE EQUIP ON BOARD AND PROPERLY DEVELOP A SOPHISTICATED CRM PROGRAM. I FEEL ADDITIONAL TIME ON TRAINING; CHART STUDY; CRM AND EQUIP FAMILIARITY WILL SOON PROVIDE THE EASE AND UNDERSTANDING REQUIRED TO AVOID THE SITUATION FROM RECURRING.