Your "best friend" in UNSW - check out their services at www.international.unsw.edu.au

Facilities in the ISS area

• Lounge area with comfy sofas

• A limited number of computer terminals with free internet access (only for international students)

• Free magazines and newspapers for browsing

• The student letter rack where all mails received for students who have used the ISS office address as a temporary mailing address are placed

Enrollment dates for each faculty might defer from those set by the administrative department. Also, there are specific venues allocated for enrolment during specified dates, and there will be staff on hand to help you with your enrollment.

If you have enrolled via snail mail prior to reaching Sydney, do check them again. There have been cases of system faults that registered an entirely different mailing address.

With the printout confirming your enrollment, proceed to the E-Spot @ the Red Centre Building and get your student card. You will need to provide them with your student ID number allocated to you. The photo on your student card is taken on the spot, and the card is issued immediately and you have to sign it in the presence of the staff. This should take about 10 mins, without a long queue. At the same time, you will be issued with your Uni pin, and details can be obtained from ISS, E-spot or the Disconnect office. Any loss of the card can be reported to the E-Spot.

Under the NSW legislation, international students are not entitled to transport concessions. Do pick up a free copy of the UNSW Union diary outside E-Spot.

Uses of the student card

Verification purposes, especially after normal school hours Gain access to computer labs and various venues - especially important for postgraduate students Borrow library books Obtain discounts for food and beverages Pay $6 for a movie ticket at the Ritz cinema in Randwick (instead of the normal $9)

As of 2003, invoices for payment of school fees can be found online and students are required to print them out and submit it to the bank for payment.

Further enquiries with regards to this can be directed to the staff at the NewSouthQ, located opposite the library (Chancellor's Building). Do note that it is notorious for its long queues and long wait during peak periods, so do arrive early.

The main housing office is located in the Quadrangle Building, and a temporary area may be set up to put up notices of available accommodation, and which is updated daily. You can seek advice from the staff present, or approach them with regards to any problems with your landlord or otherwise. Competition for the best accommodation is tough, so it's first-come-first-serve or whether the landlord prefers you over the others.

Free phones may be available for you to use to contact the landlord.

Do pick up the pamphlets distributed relating to rent matters and other important housing issues.

If brought your own mobile phone handset over to Australia, then you can either purchase a prepaid SIM card from any newsagent or electrical goods outlets, or you can subscribe to the plans available from the 3 major telecommunications companies in Australia. Do note that there may be hidden contracts and hefty fines for withdrawal before the contract expires. Of course, you can also opt to buy an entirely new phone and there are many offers available.

I found this very useful when I was house-hunting around Sydney. Essentially, there are 2 versions:

• Cab-driver version - very detailed, and so more expensive; about A4 in size and with a soft cover

• Basic version - hard cover, slightly smaller than A4.

They can be purchased from any newsagent.