I've been an alumni interviewer for my alma mater pretty much since I graduated. This year I grumbled about signing up for 4 or 5 interviews... it's a surprising number of man-hours. Each interview is supposed to take 45 min, but I usually go way over-time, sometimes as long as 1.5 hours. Then there is the time it takes to actually do the write-ups. It can get pretty discouraging when, year after year, the kids you interview keep getting rejected, even if the numbers tell you what to expect.
I've probably interviewed close to 20 students in the last few years, and not one of them have ever been accepted...until today. And I have to say he totally deserved it--I haven't met many individuals who have so impressed me with their maturity, engagement, and thoughtfulness, so I was especially happy to find those qualities in one so young. I really feel that he will enrich the experiences of his fellow students if he decides to go.
Congrats, 2009 admits!