The concept of the Program for Excellence in Teaching (PET), formulated at colleges of education in Israel, was designed to train teachers who not only exhibit excellence but also have potential to influence the educational system and institute change therein. This study, focusing on 21 students and beginning teachers who participated in the PET at a certain college of education in Israel, examines their professional expectations and the disparity between intentions and implementations that happens as the beginning teachers encounter the reality in schools. This study assesses the dissonance between students’ and beginning teachers’ self-expectations in light of the PET context.