Telephone Service
When you arrange for telephone service, you will have to choose a long
distance carrier. The major carriers are AT&T, MCI, and Sprint. You
can change the carrier later. After your service is installed, call
each of the carriers and ask about their discount calling plans. You
will need to be persistent in asking for the discount plan that offers
you the greatest savings based on your calling patterns. Remember to
mention that you will be making international calls.
The telephone company will ask you how you wish to be listed in the
local telephone directory. We recommend asking them to list your full
last name but only the initial of your first name. You can also ask to
have your number unlisted, but there will be an extra charge for this
service.
The telephone company will also offer you a variety of optional services,
such as Call Waiting and Caller ID. These services cost extra money and are not
necessary. They will also offer a calling card, which you can use to
bill calls to your phone number from any phone. The card is free, but
calls billed to the card are charged higher rates. They may also offer
a credit card with calling card features. Such credit cards often apply
a small rebate of your purchases on the card as a credit on your
telephone bill.
If your family back home has access to email, that is the least
expensive method of keeping in touch. Otherwise we recommend getting a
fax machine, since international telephone charges can be fairly
expensive. It is still cheaper to call from the US to a foreign
country than vice versa, but the charges do add up. A basic plain
paper fax
machine will cost between $100 and $200.
You will also need to get a telephone. You can get inexpensive
telephones from discount stores, department stores, pharmacies, and
the ubiquitous Radio Shack store. A basic telephone will cost between
$15 and $45. Be sure to get one that provides touch tone service.
You may wish to get a telephone answering machine, to record messages
from callers when you are not home. Inexpensive answering machines can
be purchased for under $50. When recording your greeting, do not
provide your name or address. Instead, just say: "You have reached
. We are unable to answer your call at this time. Please leave
your name, number, and a brief message at the tone."
Soon after you arrange for telephone service, you will receive free copies
of the local telephone directories. The telephone directories are
known according to the color of their pages. The White Pages list the
telephone numbers of residents, organized alphabetically by name. The Blue Pages, often part of
the white pages, contain a list of government telephone numbers. If
you need the telephone number for the local immigration office, look
in the blue pages. The
Yellow Pages contain listings and advertisements for businesses
organized both alphabetically and by type of business, product, or service.
The white pages provide instructions for making local, long distance,
and international calls. Local telephone numbers have seven digits. To
make a long distance call you need to dial 1, the three digit area
code, and the seven digit telephone number. To call an international
telephone number, dial 011, the country code, the city code, and the
telephone number. Omit any leading zeros from the country code. You can find a list of country and city codes in the
white pages.
Toll free numbers are like
long distance numbers, but with an area code of 800, 888, or
877. Telephone numbers with an area code of 700 or 900 are for pay services
and usually involve substantial per minute charges. We recommend
asking the telephone company to block access to 700 and 900 numbers on your
phone lines.
If you need someone's telephone number but do not have a telephone
book, you can call Directory Assistance for the number. They will ask
for the name and city of the listing, and tell you the telephone
number. They will charge you for each time you use this service. To
reach local directory assistance, dial 555-1212 or 411. To reach long
distance directory assistance, dial 1, the area code, and 555-1212.
To find the toll free number for a major company, call 1-800-555-1212;
there is no charge for this call.
There are also several free searchable directories on the world wide
web, such as
555-1212.com,
BigBook,
Switchboard,
WhoWhere,
WorldPages,
Yahoo People Search,
and
Zip2.
Payphones charge 25¢ to 35¢ for a one-minute local call. Charges for
long distance calls are much higher.
Most payphones accept credit cards, either directly or by dialing a
toll free number. For example, dial 1-800-CALL-ATT
to charge a telephone call using AT&T long distance to your credit card. You may also purchase
prepaid phone cards from many businesses, such as grocery stores and
gas stations.
To make a collect call (reverse the charges), dial 0 followed by the
area code and telephone number. Tell the operator that you are making
a collect call. You can also make collect calls by calling
1-800-CALL-ATT (1-800-225-5288) or 1-800-COLLECT (1-800-265-5328).
Telexes can be sent by Western Union. Call 1-800-325-6000 for the
nearest location. You can also use Western Union to send money, but
the fees are very high. Call 1-800-225-5227 for more information.
Internet Service
Your school may provide dialup numbers that let you access the campus
computer network and the Internet from home using a computer with a
modem. Otherwise, the telephone company or any of a large number of
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can provide unlimited Internet
access at modem speeds for fees of about $20 a month. Internet service
allows you to browse the web and to send and receive email. If your
friends and family back home has access to email, sending email can be
one of the most cost effective methods of communicating.
Higher speed Internet access is becoming available in many major US
cities. There are two main methods of providing high speed access, one
using the telephone wiring (ADSL) and one using cable television
wiring (cable modems). Both provide high bandwidth incoming and
somewhat lower bandwidth outgoing by using the wiring's underexploited
transmission capacity. The incoming bandwidth is at least
twenty times faster than modem speeds. Of the two, ADSL is a bit more
secure and will ultimately provide higher bandwidth.
Renter's Insurance
Many students obtain renter's insurance to insure their possessions
against fire or theft. The landlord is not responsible for your
belongings if they are destroyed in a fire or stolen. Most renter's
insurance policies also protect you if someone is injured while in
your apartment or if you cause significant damage to the apartment. You can obtain a renter's
insurance policy by calling an insurance company listed in the Yellow
Pages of the telephone directory. The cost will be between $100 and
$300 a year. Ask for replacement value coverage, so that the insurance
covers the cost of replacing the item, not just its depreciated value.
Home Safety and Security
If your apartment doesn't have a smoke detector, buy one and install
it. If you have gas heat, you may want to buy a carbon monoxide
detector as well.
Change the locks after moving in, since you don't know who may have
kept a copy of the old keys. You will need to give a copy of the key
to the landlord. Jimmy-proof deadbolt locks are best, since they make
your apartment less attractive to thieves.
Install window stops or locks on all the windows, especially if your
apartment is located on the first floor.
You will get a 5% discount on your renter's insurance if your
apartment has a smoke detector and deadbolt locks.
