The teams most likely to get in are also the ones most likely to be working on their startup already. If you're not going to be working on your startup with or without YC, I suspect your odds of getting in are significantly lower (and probably moreso as time goes by, given the number of applicants and the number that are already started on their project--at least two that I talked to had applied and interviewed previously but not gotten in...they'd been either working on new ideas since then, or had gone on to launch something, and were back for another swing at YC with new or evolved ideas). I suspect at least one of those teams I talked to will get in this time. Stubbornness, self-confidence, risk-taking, and simple hard work are all things that YC appreciates...and they appreciate them because they're traits that lead to successful startups.
The teams most likely to get in are also the ones most likely to be working on their startup already. If you're not going to be working on your startup with or without YC, I suspect your odds of getting in are significantly lower (and probably moreso as time goes by, given the number of applicants and the number that are already started on their project--at least two that I talked to had applied and interviewed previously but not gotten in...they'd been either working on new ideas since then, or had gone on to launch something, and were back for another swing at YC with new or evolved ideas). I suspect at least one of those teams I talked to will get in this time. Stubbornness, self-confidence, risk-taking, and simple hard work are all things that YC appreciates...and they appreciate them because they're traits that lead to successful startups.