I get a little irritated when I hear that sort of stuff. I used to think our school was too conservative with solo IFR mins (used for building for commercial cert) being 2-3 miles and 3,000 feet (depending on local vs xc and dav vs night). But I've heard many schools do not permit solo IFR.

That worries me. I think of the day we send our students out to some ma and pa FBO with planes from the late 60s and they can go IFR solo for the first time. I want them to be in well maintained aircraft and after the flight being able to talk to a CFI about it because almost every solo flight a student comes back with a question.