[diwank]

You have a rock solid point there. IMHO, a very important thing a lot of people don't understand is that there is no 'magic' in real life. Success is not easy to come by. You have to keep working on going from where you are and where you want to be.

Extensive networking. Learning things. Acquiring new skills. And making stuff.

That's it. Even if you do make it to YC, there is no guarantee that you'll succeed. In fact, it's more likely that your startup will fail than not. Start a startup if you truly have to (just want to is not enough). And go start working.

It may seem like a paradox but your chances of getting into YC are higher if you don't need them as bad (ie you already have a product that people love). In plain english, be successful to be successful. Think it through, get a good friend along, brainstorm and make something. Figure out how you'll get past the inertia involved in making things. Talk to people. Network. Iterate.

To be very honest it does help if you are from MIT/Harvard. But, you can always substitute that with a strong portfolio. To re-iterate ewokhead's point: yes, you do have a chance if you create it yourself.