MIT is a premier engineering college and a preferred choice of many engineering colleges. A close friend of mine shared his experience of how his perspective regarding MIT completely changed after 2 years of joining the institute.
During the initial 2 years, he spent the worst time of his life regretting his decision. However, in the third year, he started interacting with his peers and found out that everyone has a niche, a hobby they are passionate about. This struck a chord within him. He spent the 4th year compensating for his lost time and completely transformed himself.
The academic environment is like most other engineering colleges. Most of the faculties are interested in teaching and you will have to put extra effort into learning. You have to be interactive during lectures and make the professors feel that you are genuinely interested in the subject. There are many good professors too who are very keen to teach you and guide you. However, make sure you are not choosing a branch you are not interested in as this may not only make you regret joining MIT but also affect your career largely.
Ultimately, college just gives you the wings to fly Building yourself, and your personality and gaining knowledge depends on you alone!