Yeah my soldier was at like 50 and I had to level him up before ME2, longest, grind, ever. Level 60 took forever. I'm starting to get the hang of the Vanguard, using the rush at just the right time is key.
Second playthrough....hmm need to think about that. Soldier is of course always fun, the guy with the tech armor seems pretty bad ♥♥♥, and adept would be fun to throw people around lol