You didn't mention when you woke up or when classes started. An hour can make a world of difference.
Selection based on academic performance usually means above-average intelligence, which is still an asset when you're tired. It also means you were selected partly based on how well you dealt with your previous schools' start times.
You mentioned this was long ago. The subject is better studied now and people are more aware of it. Even still, a lot of people insist it's a matter of discipline. Would it have been socially acceptable for someone to complain about it publicly or even among their friends? Did most have anything to compare it to?
You’re right about the selection bias, there was a competitive aspect in the admission process. But it wasn’t all competition, a brainy owl kid would only need to rise so high before being swept into the school.
I’m pretty sure they would complain. Also they would point out something about learning much better in the evening than morning like the owls do, and that never happened. We had kids complaining about not enough hours in the day, for example.
I think there’s a lot of insight to be gained from the pre-iPhone days of various boarding institutions with diffferent selection criteria - STEM, religious, military, arts (?), wealth.
Selection based on academic performance usually means above-average intelligence, which is still an asset when you're tired. It also means you were selected partly based on how well you dealt with your previous schools' start times.
You mentioned this was long ago. The subject is better studied now and people are more aware of it. Even still, a lot of people insist it's a matter of discipline. Would it have been socially acceptable for someone to complain about it publicly or even among their friends? Did most have anything to compare it to?