New websites that people just expect you to automatically know how to use can be intimidating at first. We’ve all had experiences with domains that just aren’t well designed, and yet we were probably somehow forced to use them.

Thankfully, Iowa State’s website is far from any of those problems, so the only obstacle in a student’s way is the learning curve. There are a few things to know about the school’s website, so let’s dive right in to what you’ll be using most.

Access Plus is your central hub for everything you do that has anything to do with the school.

After clicking the Access-Plus link at the top of Iowa State’s home page and logging in with your student ID, a page with two tabs (A+ Home and Student) on the right and a list of personal options on the left appears.

Among the personal options in the A+ Home tab, information can be found about your ISU email and other services that require you to log in. These are under the ISU IDs selection, and every new student should get to know their information, as it is vital to access computers on campus. Contact info and safety options are also available on the left.

When under the Student tab on the right, a larger list of options can be found that will give you as much detailed information as possible about your experience at Iowa State. From bills to schedules to dining, everything you need to know or want to customize about your campus lifestyle can be found right here.

Clicking on certain options will expand the list to feature sublists of information. For instance, clicking Account/U-Bill presents a more refined list of what you can accomplish inside AccessPlus.

Be aware that some information won’t be available until the actual semester starts, but any questions can be easily answered by calling Iowa State and talking to the department associated with your question.

For example, housing, admissions and dining are all separate, much as they are within AccessPlus.

A quick tip: Don’t forget to go down the list and fill out everything that’s required of you. There are a lot of things to verify and personalize — even deadlines to meet — so don’t ignore anything.

When your Net-ID is set up in AccessPlus, you can use your new information to log in to CyMail, a Google-powered mail system that you will use consistently.

After clicking the CyMail link at the top left of the ISU home page, logging in will feel very familiar to anyone who has a Gmail account. If you don’t, do not fret: The user interface is very slick and easy to get used to.

Blackboard is another tool found at the upper-left of the home screen.

This site is used by several professors as online support to their in-class lectures. Online quizzes and homework will appear here.

After logging in with your Net-ID and password, courses that have to do with Blackboard will be displayed, along with options made available to you by your professors that use Blackboard.

Blackboard can provide heaps of help to those who want a greater connection to the classroom. One of the features is a discussion board that can help connect students who have similar problems or questions about in-class information.

In addition to these links, information about athletics, the library, directory and the school itself can all be accessed through Iowa State’s site. Particularly useful is the alphabetical index along the top of the home page.

Much of what you do at Iowa State is done online, so you’ll get to know it in no time.