Yup, I'm familiar with the process. I think that other schools simply use the wait/deferred-list in order to offer seats in the entering class when others decline the school's offer.
My main point was that by letting me know that I'm on a wait-list to interview, it's hard for me to believe that if I am invited to interview, my chances to be accepted are just as good as of those who received a straight interview invitation. This is only an assumption I made, nothing more.
Also, there's always this: "Overall, UCD made me feel like they really wanted me there, while UCLA was more like "Well, you can come here if you want to!". I agree that getting the feeling that a particular school wants you, and not just settles on you, is important. So I don't quite understand what UCD hopes to achieve by letting us know we're on hold...they could just invite us later on if it becomes relevant.
