[TMWNN]

As a fellow Ivy Leaguer, is it fair to say that getting recommendation letters written by two Harvard College grads who had made it big helped in getting in when you finally decided to get the degree?

Not many people can say that they helped bring about a social and technological revolution with their work. You can (And the Porsche wasn't a bad reward, either!).

[kosak2000]

I don't know everything that goes on in the minds of college admissions officers, but I don't think alumni recommendation letters matter very much to them. For me what worked I assume (and this was 35+ years ago, mind you) is having great test scores, starting college four years late, and having what perhaps looked like an entrepreneurial spirit. So I had elements of my background that seemed unusual / interesting and that may have caught their eye. I can only speculate. I got offers from other colleges where I had no alumni connection so I don't think it's about that. As for the Porsche 924, meh. It was a regrettable money-pit, a hand-me-down from my father and, as I was constantly reminded by car enthusiasts, "basically a Volkswagen".