What are initials?

I am filling a form for living in the campus on a university in Australia. The due date for sending this application is near, and I have asked the very same question to them in e-mail and haven't got an answer. I fear that I will not get the answer before the due date, so hopefully I have come to the right place to ask this question. Bottom of the contract it says "Resident initials here", now what's initials? I searched a bit and found out that it's the first letter of my name followed by first letter in my last name and surname. If my name is Muazam Al Ace, are my initial "MAA"? So do I write "MAA"? So my question is, are they asking for my signature or initials which does not make sense to me. One more question: "Resident’s Representative for Notices" - is it here I fill in my parents?

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asked Nov 10, 2011 at 15:59

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In this context, your initials are a shortened version of your signature. Generally, you use the first letter of your first and the first letter of your last name as your initials, but you can also include the first letter of your middle name or maiden name, or more than one letter from one of the names (e.g. someone with the last name DiAmico using both D and A). Some people will even combine the letters in a characteristic way, such as writing the initials MR with the R attached to the right leg of the M.

Commented Nov 10, 2011 at 17:25