I tend to see the USCG in a similar way you do. Although I am going reserve I share the feeling that recruiters are able to be more selective due to the small size of the branch. There were many things that originally drew my interest in the Coast Guard but this was one of the initial draws. And if you want to talk about waiting, I submitted my application in Charleston in June of 2013. Due to a number of things (waivers for shoulder surgery, lack of open reserve billets, FY16 dates) I have just finally received all my dates and will finally get to be a Coast Guardsman. I was as patient as I could be, ended up graduating college and getting married, but didn't give up on one day getting to boot camp. I feel there is no better service to be selected for than the USCG and if people can't wait on the process they don't really want to be apart of a select group of individuals who work 24/7 on US soil protecting their country and it's citizens.
Semper Paratus