After all, sitting in on a class is not the same thing as actually taking a class. However, if the university wished to improve certain student services, the data might prove helpful in some instances. For example, mystery 'shoppers' could go to the university financial aid office, and rate the helpfulness and knowledge of the advice they received, when they confronted the official with a particular, common problem. Students could also measure how long it took them to get through certain steps of the registration process for classes online, and record if they received appropriate feedback in dealing with any potential, common difficulties with the Internet system. Students could provide information about the quality of help and the amount of time they were given with their faculty advisors, the quality of the student handbook and course catalogue, the amount of time it took to get an appointment at the health center and the quality of care they received. They could even measure and provide feedback about how long the waits were for good equipment at the student gym! or, to provide more sophisticated and detailed feedback, outsiders posing as students could critically assess some of these areas, measured against benchmarks...
Since they still remembered what it was like to apply to college, no doubt, their feedback on any recently implemented changes would provide a useful comparative perspective. From the admissions perspective, sending current mystery shoppers to take prospective student tours and speak with admissions staff -- even go on a 'mock' college interview with an admissions counselor would all be feasible.
A final option might be to actually audit the school itself on its friendliness. During prospective or freshman week, mystery shoppers could pretend to be prospective or new students and ask students for directions or for information about the campus. The degree of courtesy and correct information they received would be yet another snapshot of the quality of 'service' provided -- this time by the general student body! If student helpfulness and spirit needed improvement, such an audit would perhaps reveal any deficiencies.
