Between Crisis and Resilience: University Adaptation in New Accounting Students in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

Entering university is a particularly critical stage for first-year students, combining more complex academic demands with personal and socio-emotional challenges. The objective of this study was to analyze the academic and socio-emotional difficulties, the strategies and supports used, and the perception of adaptation and academic satisfaction in a cohort of 50 incoming students at the Professional School of Accounting of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas during their first semester of 2025. A quantitative, descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional design was used, employing a 24-item Likert scale questionnaire that assessed four dimensions: academic difficulties upon entry, personal and socio-emotional difficulties, strategies and supports used, and perceptions of adaptation and academic satisfaction. The results show that most students report moderate (68%) and high (28%) academic difficulties, as well as moderate (48%) and high (26%) personal and socio-emotional difficulties. However, moderate use of strategies and supports (76.9% at a moderate level) was observed, especially time management and digital resources, and an overall perception of adaptation and academic satisfaction that was predominantly high (62%). The relational analysis suggests that adaptation does not imply an absence of difficulties, but rather the ability to mobilize academic, personal, and family resources to cope with them. Implications for the design of support and tutoring programs in the first year of accounting studies are discussed.