just grab the sucka and go all obi wan with it.
try this

you have to draw the components full scale in cad, and then basically just print to the laser cutter....don't become one of those lazy students who just uses them to save time, be sure you make things that for some odd reason require that level of precision in order to work.

depending on the way the laser cutter is set up, you either use auto-cad or corell draw to plot. (if using corell, you can easily open cad dwgs in corell).

The laser cutter (depending on the type and the way it is set up) can cut both vector (linework) and raster (pixel based images). You can either cut or score the material. Many laser cutters allow you to 'score' in different line weights, so that you can have a variety of depths of cut on one piece. If done properly, you can achieve a '3d' effect in this manner.

Of course, this all depends on the laser cutter and the way that it is set up. I assume that your school has someone who manages the cutter. He or she should be able to help you.

Also, the laser will leave a burn mark on wood. While this can be sanded off of the face of the wood fairly easily, it is more difficult to sand the burned edges of the wood to remove the discoloration. By the time that you have removed the burn, you have sanded half your piece away.

Good luck

actually many times the 'burn' gives a cool look to the model-of course it one preferes it

We use a sandblaster to clean up the edges. Works well but do a test piece first, each sandblaster has different sand and air pressure so it may just disintergrate your piece if you blast it for too long.

sound like MIT's got the set-up. All we had at oure school was a rusty bandsaw and some duct tape

There are some that came to market fairly recently (the Versa lazer, which there is an ad for in every PC Mag) that will cut from almost anything, including Illustrator. Only $10k! We are actually looking to buy one for some prototype work. Fun!!

Before you worry about this too much make sure that students actually have access to this laser cutter on a regular basis and that students are in fact using it in their work.
Recently I was teaching in a school that had 2 different types of laser cutters, and that taught students how to utilize them during the 2-week summer orientation that most students attended before first year.
Unfortunately this was the first and last opportunity most of them ever got to use this equipment.
In the actual day-to-day operations of the architecture school the hours that the equipment was available were limited and the waiting list to use it was weeks long - so it effectively eliminated using it for anything with a short deadline or anything that the student hadn't planned out and brought to a high level of finality far in advance.

In this school the machine was actually being used mostly by faculty and staff (most notably the person in charge of supervising this equipment) who were using it for their own outside work.
If the latest/greatest gadgetry is a factor in your school choice I'd strongly advise you to ask students whether they've A) seen the gadget B) used it C) used it successfully in their own design work.

I got front row seats for a U2 show the day of from ticketmaster and paid face value for them, so I dont know what you are talking about.

Before you are allowed to use a laser cutter your grad school will make you go through a crash course on how to use it and not burn the school down.
Is not that bad an idea that students have to do some training before they use the machine. Last semester a student almost burnt the GSAP down by trying to laser cut newspaper!!!
Lets just say that it was a nice bonfire.