Thank you. I never received an email with this link or a password. I haven't heard anything from this school (but they did cash my check so I know they received my secondary). Is it weird to have a pre-interview status that says "Applicant in Process"?
The meanings of the various statuses are discussed earlier in the forum... but I suppose it doesn't hurt to provide a comprehensive summary of them here...
START
A. "Application Not Complete"
B. "Application in Process" = You are complete --> Goto C.
C. "Applicant in Process" = Your file is being reviewed, 3 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Select Interview Date" = You are good enough for an interview --> Goto D.
2. "Application in Process" = You are not good enough to grant an interview yet, but might be later on in the cycle --> Go back to B.
3. "Final Decision Made ..." = You are not good enough --> Goto X.
D. "Select Interview Date" (A Grid of dates shows up) = Call and schedule an interview date, after which "Interview Scheduled on ... " shows up. After the interview, Goto F.
F. "Decision Pending" = File pending review at the next adcom meeting (every 3rd Thursday of the month), 2 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Final Decision Made ... " --> Goto Q.
2. "Decision Pending" (No Status Change) + "We'll keep reviewing you" Email (a few days later) = You are a good candidate, but not good enough to grant an acceptance yet. UIC will keep reviewing you at every adcom meeting. The email won't be sent again though. Go back to F.
Q. There are 2 additional conditions from here:
1. There is an "Additional Correspondences" Tab in the upper-right corner on your status page AND you get a CBC Email (a few days later) = What date is it --> Goto T.
2. There is no "Additional Correspondences" Tab and/or you don't get the CBC Email = Rejection. [Note: Getting here is tricky. The CBC email usually comes a few days after (1-4 is the consensus) the status change. Be patient. Sometimes, the email never comes, which might be because you already had CBC done due to an acceptance at another school. In some instances, the CBC Email even comes after the snail-mail. If after a week, neither the tab nor the CBC email shows up, it's very likely a rejection. You've probably already received snail-mail by now alerting you to it.] --> Goto X.
T. There are 2 options from here, depending on the month:
1. Before April = You are (very likely) accepted --> Goto Z.
2. On or After April = You might be accepted, but more likely you are on a waitlist --> Goto Z or W.
W. "Waitlisted ..." = Waitlisted

(Kind of obvious what this means) The CBC Email no longer acts as an indicator of an acceptance... since you likely already got it while getting on the waitlist. If you get off the waitlist, then Goto Z, else Goto X.
X. "Final Decision Made ..." = Rejection
🙁 ... Wait for "Thin Letter" via snail-mail.
Z. "Final Decision Made ..." + "Additional Correspondences" Tab + CBC Email = (very likely) Acceptance
😀 ... Wait for "Thick Packet" via snail-mail. [Note: Sometimes CBC emails come after the packet. CBC emails also might never arrive if you got an acceptance to another school that also does CBC through AMCAS.]
FINISH
The waitlist part I'm somewhat hazy about. Hope that helps though!