“Aside from the tznius aspect, what do you know about them? do you really know about their families, if the parents have shalom bayis, any health issues”
I hate to break this news to you (and btw, thank you SDHN for that cute story and the last sentence of your post 🙂 which was nice) , but there is absolutely nothing untzniusdig in talking to a classmate and ebcoming friends UNLESS one is talking about untzniusdig things. Talking about what you heard in class, going for a cup of coffee together, etc., is a great way to get to know someone in a totally non-stressful and non-threatening way (as opposed to shidduch dating which is FRAUGHT with tension and nervousness for the average person).
Also (and this is even more controversial), as much checking as is done, does not reveal family secrets, health issues, shalom bayis issues, etc. for way too many people. These are things that are often kept hidden, and are not discovered until well after the fact. I know someone whose engagement broke off the week it was made, because something came to light by accident. This was right after the vort.
You get to know a person when you see them in a comfortable environment on a regular basis. If for one second the people who have been conditioned to believe that this is a bad thing, would stop to realize that SO many ehrliche frum learned people came out of that same environment, from shidduchim made in that “den of iniquity” you tend to think college is, they might be able to recognize that EVERYTHING in life has a potential for good or bad. Getting educated is important. Meeting your bashert while doing so, is icing on the (wedding) cake.