Editor’s note: This article is part of the Arizona Summer Wildcat’s 2014 Campus Guide. The Campus Guide is a special issue that runs every year to help introduce incoming students to the UA and campus life.

While most new students arriving this fall to attend the UA will be coming straight from high school, there will also be many other students transferring from different colleges and universities, as well as those transitioning from military service.

Many of the transfer students will be coming from Pima Community College. They sometimes find that some people believe that the two years of education received at PCC is not equal to the education that would have been received by students that started at the UA directly out of high school.

The truth is the classes at PCC, and many other community colleges, can be just as good as the same classes at the UA, and in some cases even harder, because they are required to meet the standards of multiple universities rather than just one curriculum.

The only advantage that many students starting as freshmen will have over the students transferring to the UA will be that they have more knowledge of where everything on campus is located and more experience using online tools, such as the enrollment process on UAccess.

This becomes most apparent with the need to submit a request, sign a form or any other task that requires in-person interaction with one of the many administrative offices found in different locations spread out across campus.

If unfamiliar with the campus, or worse, rushing from class to class, asking where a certain office is located or arriving at the wrong location can be taxing on both time and patience.

It can be even more frustrating during the early fall semester when the humidity and temperature is high as the monsoon season comes to an end. The last thing anyone wants to be doing is having to go out searching for various campus offices in the heat.

The easiest way to find a place is to simply ask. Most students have been lost on campus at some point, or just couldn’t find a certain class that seems almost intentionally hidden. As a result, most students try to be understanding and as helpful as possible to people who ask questions.

Another great way to get around is to visit the Transfer Student Center in Suite 402 in the Student Union Memorial Center. Here, transfer students can find a quiet place to relax, study or just get assistance in finding the locations of student services that they need.

The transfer center also has a website where tips and advice is given to aid in the transfer process for new students. Useful information found on the site includes tips about academic advising, along with a link to the advising page on the UA website.

Also on the site is a link to tutorials on how to register for classes in the UAccess system. These tutorials can be very useful for students using UAccess for the first time.

For veterans attending UA for the first time, look for the “VETS” page on the UA website. There, links can be found to assist veterans in finding information needed to set up and receive education benefits from the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills, as well as information on tuition and book deferment.

There is also the Student Vets Center in Room 404 of the student union, which is a casual, safe place for student veterans to relax and study, according to the SVC web site.

The center is staffed by student veterans that have also transitioned to the UA. It is a convenient place for new student veterans to find information or to meet other veterans on campus.

While the initial shock from the size of the campus and the amount of administrative paperwork required can seem like a lot to take in for a new student’s first semester, the resources and assistance available can make the transition far easier.

Jorge is a junior studying journalism. Follow him @DailyWildcat