yeah, the school is sort of the "corporate"-type school for the area. very detailed and by the book kind of place. but even so, it's weird to even me for someone not to have a personal logbook. its just such a part of your training and also of you as a pilot. its like a Cop with no gun, a clown without a red nose, or Pasey with no Dawson...it just ain't right.
and yes i agree it really is all kinds of silly, but it is important for a CFI to see a new students log in order to get an idea of their training. for instance:
-when was your last flight?
-have you had, or do you need a Flight Review?
-how much experience do you have in this specific make/model aircraft?
-what kind of X-C's have you had (did you just go to one place over and over, or have you experienced different types of airspace/obstacles to flight??)