<p>You can absolutely handle Wharton--don't hesitate to apply/attend just because you think it may be too difficult. Keep a few things in mind. (1) If the adcom is admitting you, its because they think you can do well; (2) Wharton is a prestigious enough name that even if you aren't at the top of the class, you will still do well in terms of job offers and future opporunities; (3) If you really can't stand the thought of not being at the top of the class, keep in mind that it isn't impossible to do well at Wharton.</p>
<p>Everyone knows about the Wharton curve and assumes it must be impossible to get A's since only 20-25% of the class can get A's. But remember that in any given class, not every single person is competing for an A, for various reasons. Some people truly believe that because they go to Wharton, they're all set and it doesn't matter what grades they get. Others are really into the college party scene and don't study much. Others work hard but are inefficient. Of that 3rd subset, many cling to study methods that don't work. Studying at a business school is different than at HS. When you were short on time in HS memorization was the way to get things done, even in calc and chemistry--if you just memorized how to do the problem, even if you didn't know why, you would likely be able to use the same method on the test and still pull out an A. At Wharton, it doesn't matter if you know the definition and methods forwards and backwards, if you don't understand how to solve finance, stat, accounting etc. problems, you aren't going to get A's. You'd be surprised how many people don't realize this--they do their HW, group projects etc. passively, just sort of memorizing the methods; then they get exams filled with nuances that push you beyond what was on the HW and are lost. </p>
<p>As for natural brilliance, its not a pre-req to doing well. Most people who do the best at Wharton are hard workers, striving to learn every single detail. Sure there are naturally brilliant people, but don't assume that they necessarily grab all the A's; of the ones that I knew, most relied on their intelligent and did very little work and thus didn't get as high grades as they could have. As for competition, of course everyone knows about the curve and is competing. However, it isn't overt, hostile competition--no one is stealing notebooks or anything. What you will notice is that people don't go out of the way to help others because they realize it could hurt them; sure, they'll help their friends and classmates that they've gotten to know but they aren't going to volunteer info to kids who never come to class and then suddenly show up 2 days before the midterm wanting to borrow all the class notes.</p>
<p>It really is true that the people who are admitted are capable of not only handling but doing well at Wharton; you arrive on campus with a clean slate and then its all a matter of how much time and effort you're willing to put in. I really only met a handful of people at Wharton who were in way over their heads, and they admitted it; its not that they weren't intelligent but they lacked the solid fundamentals that the rest of their classmates had from HS--if you don't have proper grammar & diction or don't know how to do 1st order derivatives by the time you're in college, theres really not much that a college prof can do for you.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. If you're interested, definitely apply and don't worry about how difficult it is. Feel free to post/PM if you want study tips etc, esp those who will be frosh this fall.</p>