Many studies have addressed the challenges faced by students when they access higher education, describing the influence of personal and contextual factors on the transition and adaptation to Higher Education. The present study aimed to investigate how expectations impact the quality of first-year students' experiences. Participants included 182 Brazilian students (M=26,2; DP=8,76), 146 women and 36 men, who answered two questionnaires focusing on academic expectations and experiences. Results suggest that initial expectations of first-year students are correlated with the quality of their academic experiences. Specifically, expectations about students' engagement with colleagues, career project, and curricular activities in their undergraduate program, seem to be related with students' academic adaptation.
Higher education; Academic expectations; Academic adaptation; College students
