The first year at university is a particularly challenging experience which requires quick student’s adjustment to the new academic context by coping with social, academic and administrative demands. Many freshmen struggle with this adjustment and fail or decide to leave higher education, which entail psychological and financial costs. First year experience in higher education has been extensively investigated in the literature and several variables were identified as predictors of academic achievement and retention. Yet, the majority of the studies focused on single factor analysis, restraining the comprehensive understanding of freshmen adjustment as a global and dynamic process. To overcome this limit, the current study used a longitudinal qualitative design in order to grasp the dynamic complexity of adjustment process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in two steps with 17 freshmen from Science department. The aims were to unfold the constructs at play in student’s adjustment process and the dynamic interplay between them over time. The material was analyzed through thematic and sequential analysis. The analyses were grounded into Expectancy-value theory and the Self-system process model. In accordance with theoretical background, preliminary results identified social integration, course value, self-efficacy beliefs, cognitive and behavioral engagement as major themes. Moreover, students’ discourse revealed interplay between contextual characteristics (heavy workload, increased academic demands…), self-efficacy beliefs and engagement across the year. The implications and limitations of this study will be discussed.