As a visitor to Harvard’s campus in 1985, Themba Ngcobo had hoped he would have reason to return in the future. This weekend, he fulfilled that wish when he flew from South Africa to Cambridge to visit his son for Freshman Parents’ Weekend.

The array of College-sponsored events focusing on the first-year experience allowed parents like Ngcobo—marked by their ubiquitous crimson nametags—to explore the many facets of freshman life.

Many parents praised the wide range of events for providing them with a glimpse into their children’s lives at Harvard. Parents attended normally half-filled Friday morning classes, enjoyed an a cappella performance by the Din & Tonics, and cheered the Harvard football team to a victory against Columbia at Harvard Stadium.

The parents of Collin A. Jones ’12, who opted for coffee in the Memorial Hall transept rather than participating in the Harvard College Marathon Challenge around campus, said they enjoyed spending time with their son and meeting his roommates in Wigglesworth.

The balancing act between academic, extracurricular, and social life formed the common thread running through many of the weekend’s activities and served as the basis for the panel discussion “The Freshman Year: Now and the Months Ahead.”

As moderator of the discussion, Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman ’67 said he was “wowed” by the “intelligence, drive, and good-naturedness” of the Class of 2012. With 200 of its 1,660 members admitted off the wait list, Dean Dingman said there was a unique sense of gratitude among the freshman class.

Freshman proctor and panel member Harmony S. O’Rourke also noted that the blackout at the start of Opening Days laid the foundations for the bonding and overall cohesiveness of the class.

Over meals in the historic and crowded Annenberg Hall, the brief snapshot of college life led both parents and students to reflect on the first eight weeks of the academic year.

Siya Ngcobo ’12 said the weekend provided him with a “wake-up call for how fast everything is happening.”

His father said he now knows that the “best institution is the best for the child.”

—Crimson staff writer Bita M. Assad can be reached at bassad@fas.harvard.edu.