P3P has a different format from other Personas because of the female protagonist that was added. Like, you don't walk around like in other Persona games, instead just instantly travelling to locations--it's kind of visual novel-y; this was a compromise to allow unique story elements for both genders (and some exclusive Social Links). Also, you can fully control all party members, which was impossible in regular P3.
My one gameplay tip is to not worry about grinding. Just get to the top of Tartarus. It is big and you'll have plenty of opportunities for levelling, Persona gathering, and loot gathering. Also watch out for charm.
And a good tip that helped me out for the final boss (and saved a lot of fuss) was to get an Abaddon. You'll know what you need from him when you get it.
Good luck. It's a great journey.