I started at Tech in the Fall of 01 and graduated almost a year ago in May. Tech is no joke, though. It is a tough school, but it can also be a lot of fun. If you get a chance, go study abroad while you are there. For someone like myself (who was an out of state student), it was actually cheaper to go abroad than it was to study at Tech and it was the trip of a lifetime. Imagine going on a 4 month trip around Europe with 50 of your closest friends.

And to mirror what the others are saying, the week before finals is indeed "dead week", but you'll generally find that you'll have big projects/presentations to turn in during that week, so it really isn't dead at all.

The attrition rate at Tech isn't a joke either. I can't even count how many people I saw that didn't make it. They aren't kidding when they say "Look to your left, look to your right, one of you three isn't going to be here at graduation." But there are a huge number of resources out there to help you out if you have any problems. It may seem like something that you would regret once you are there, but after you are out, it really becomes something you are proud of.