So here's my problem: I graduated 8 years ago and I've had a fairly , not to say highly, succesful career since then. I haven't kept in touch with my university and its faculty, though. I'm able to get really good letters of recommendation from my bosses, but it seems that no one at my old university (the biggest in my country in terms of student enrollment) is able to remember me much.



My grades plainly state that I'm in the top 3-5 percent of my class (I have a perfect score), but I won't be able to get a much more personal academic reference than that.



It appears as though the top-tier schools (Harvard, Cambridge etc.) strongly prefer academic references over professional references. Should I even bother in proceeding with my application?

[Edited by Hogland on Oct 02, 2020]

If you can get stellar professional references I don't think it's a lost cause. Although some schools may prefer academic references, this is not a requirement. The actual content - what recommenders say - is the important part.