If you say so. I wouldn't call $10,000 a year a "spartan" living style. As for the commitment (5 years); let's not get into the whole inactive reserve thing please. That is a reasonable obligation for the education, room and board.
If you curb your emotions a second, you'll realize there are quite a lot of differences in your harvard scenario. The main difference being the cadet doesn't have a student loan to pay back. Whether a student attends Harvard or the Academies; that is strictly a choice. You don't assign dollar value to that, and you don't complain that a harvard grad is a "Shark" just because you didn't "CHOOSE" to go there. And for what it's worth, I know plenty MORE Harvard, Yale, and Princeton students working 2-3 jobs to make a living, than those with a starting paycheck of $75,000.
I was simply pointing out that because cadets, and military members in general, don't have time or the availability to have summer jobs, after school jobs, holiday jobs, etc..., the academy needs to give them a stipend. And that stipend is used for the same EXACT things that MOST college students use the money they made from their part time jobs. Things like books, clothing, computers, toiletries, time off spending money, etc... The point is, the money isn't given for work accomplished. It's given because part time jobs aren't authorized and therefor not available.
Now; the average college graduate will make about $46,000. When you take that currently, a new O-1 makes $31,863.60 a year base pay. Then throw on another $2476.00 for BAS. And BAH (Housing money is based on location; so I took a CHEAP location like wyoming and it's roughly $9480.00 for a single O-1. (New jersey area is about $18,192 per year). That's a total of $44,019.69. Of which, $12,156.00 is TAX FREE. And this doesn't include any other incentives.
Now; don't get me wrong. I think all personnel in the military don't get paid enough for putting their lives on the line for the rest of the country. But that is a separate issue. But we are talking right now about college students, Forbes, Princeton Review, etc.... and some of the variables in what makes a college better than another. And a $44,019.69+ starting salary job; Only $31,863.69 being taxable; no student loans to pay back; and then all the other benefits such as medical, dental, vision, etc... Isn't a bad deal. And as a student, you make approximately $10,000 a year stipend. Which is approximately what a typical college student would make with summer, holiday, part time jobs. Just trying to put it into perspective. You might not like how the numbers come out, but that's how they come out. I didn't make them up. You can believe that it's "Purpose" is for something else. That's cool. But that doesn't take away "Trying" to compare Apples with Apples. That's the only way to compare a cadet's education and financials with those of a civilian education.