In this case, let me elaborate on my daughter’s experience in that regard:
She had JUST finished 4 years of all-in high school. She had enjoyed several extracurriculars requiring pre-school-hours, and after-school attendances, but being a high-achieving type then worked way until mid-night writing papers and preparing for exams.
She was very concerned about wanting a “normal” college experience, where work and life were more balanced - not a continuation of high school. She too figured that a T10 school meant an all-academic, competitive, cut-throat student body, dominated by prep-boy types, with take-no-prisoners faculty.
Fortunately, she ended up tagging along on a neighborhood tour of out-of-staters - giving her a chance to fall-behind the attentive parents with fellow applicants and instantly having great chats. Turns out - everyone was cooking with water too, had lots of other interests, and were just as “balanced” as she saw herself.
And the academics turned out to be no more challenging than high-school had been – certainly challenging differently, not MORE. If anything, being surrounded by equally motivated peers meant productive sessions, and professors were approachable and cooperative.
Within a year, she looked back and voiced how she couldn’t even fathom how she ever made it through high school as intense as it had been while college was almost a vacation. And with two thousand people at the college, and even more at the University at large making friends with diverse passions and interests was easy.