More than 1,000 proud parents of the Class of 2003 will visit Cambridge this weekend in an attempt to discover--in just two days--what the first-year experience at Harvard is all about.

This morning marks the beginning of Freshman Parents Weekend, an event packed with panels and receptions explaining to parents what they are getting for their tuition buck.

Director of the Parents Association Julia G. Fox said the wealth of events accessible to parents this weekend will present them with as wide an array of choices as their children encountered six weeks ago during Shopping Period.

"We can only give them a snapshot of Harvard," Fox said. "We encourage parents to look at all that's available to them and choose what's most interesting, or things they know nothing about."

Today's events include panel discussions on the "Physical and Emotional Health of College Students" and "On Teaching and Learning," as well as receptions with proctors and officials from the Freshman Dean's Office.

Tomorrow's schedule contains a picnic lunch in the Gordon Indoor Track and Tennis Facility, as well as free admission to Harvard museums and the Harvard-Dartmouth football game.

Notably, a panel on campus security--following a series of Yard break-ins this month--is not included in this weekend's schedule.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 made several personal recommendations to first-year parents in an e-mail message to The Crimson.