Weird thing happened today

[ArchRivalNeo]

Hey everyone,

FIrst post here. I just wanted to ask you guys about something weird that happened today. So I applied for the MSE program for ECE at UT Austin last december, and I'm still waiting to hear back from them. My UT Direct application portal didn't show anything new for months. Still shows that my application is in review, however I noticed that it suddenly shows a new item in the To Do list. It's asking me to submit my TOEFL/IELTS scores. Now as far as I know, that isn't required for students who did their undergrad in a Canadian university. So is this just something the system does for no reason?

I was talking to my friend about this, and he told me that the university generally asks an applicant for TOEFL scores if they're being considered for a TA position. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks in advance guys!

[TakeruK]

This might be something that the system automatically puts up because you are flagged as an international student. Also, sometimes these "To-Do" lists on the application portals are not correct even -- one place said they never received my transcripts but when I emailed the admin staff to check, they said not to worry, the names didn't match up exactly so the system didn't automatically recognize it.

A lot of schools I applied to (as a Canadian) also said that you need a TOEFL score of X in order to TA, unless you have a degree from an English speaking University. Another school asks if my native language is English in order to assess incoming students for TA positions -- English is my second language but it's the only language I can fluently read and write and speak at a level better than a polite 6 year old. When I asked the admin staff about this, they said to just put English as a native language anyways.

I would write an email to either the department admissions staff people and/or the graduate school admissions office to clarify!

[constantSun]

You should call them. It might take three hours on the phone but better safe than sorry!