<p>It has been over 3 decades since I graduated from MIT. A lot has changed since then so I can’t comment on much of the current state of the school. I can say that while I was in school the concept of Hell and MIT weren’t much different. It can be a real academic pressure cooker. After being on the top of my high school class in math and science (but not English) I discovered that I was only average at MIT. Talk about a blow to one’s ego and somewhat hard to deal with. Sports were/are a great relaxer from the grind of the classes.</p>
<p>After the afore mentioned passage of time, being only average wasn’t so bad. You’re still pretty smart and I learned a few new sports. So, if that is the only thing I can say bad about the place, it isn’t so bad after all. Actually, I’ve probably forgotten all the bad stuff by this time. At this point I only have good memories about my time there. </p>
<p>So my point. Whatever you don’t like about MIT at the time, it probably isn’t really that bad. It has a lot to offer. I got involved in undergraduate research and, in general, had a much more positive experience than my friends that didn’t. So, if you go there (or any other school); get involved.</p>
<p>Interesting reading: The Idea Factory: Learning to think at M.I.T. by Pepper White. the first third of the book reads almost like a sales brochure for MIT, then it turns.</p>