<p>There are a ton of brilliant students here but that doesn’t mean you should be intimidated. Most of the smartest kids I know here are very humble and don’t in any way give off an intimidating vibe. From my experience, most people are very hard on themselves but not cutthroat with others. I hear there is a little of that in Wharton but it is not looked highly upon and comes from a smaller group than you would think.
Yes there are some students who do not seem that smart (it is important not to judge a book by its cover!), but that is a reflection of the application process at top schools, not of Penn. SAT scores, grades, and extracurriculars don’t always pick out the smartest people. Some people can do well with those things without being brilliant.</p>