Gary Drescher wrote:

However, 61.51e4 clearly states that a student pilot can log PIC time while
flying solo. What reason did anyone at your flight school give for doubting
that?

This is correct and it was a change that came with the 1995 Part 61
rewrite. Prior to then, there was no provision for student pilots
to log pilot-in-command time. This may be what confuses your
instructors.

It further confuses them as to this question: I logged solo time
back before Part 61 changed and allowed me to count it as pic time
as well. Now when I apply for my instrument rating do I count the
20 or so ours of pre-private solo time as PIC? Who knows.
Didn't really make a difference with close to 600 hours otherwise
logged.