Ok. First, I had a visceral reaction to the mention of your study hours. I'm about 99% sure I know which school you speak of, since I knew someone who went there, and faced a similar situation. I think it's absolute fucking bullshit to lock students into these routines. You went to school for 8 hours, don't fucking tell them how to spend their "leisure time", which I'm putting in quotes because I agree that boarding school environments are stifling and pretty much scar you for life. I had a relatively lax iteration of such a place myself, but it was still awful. We weren't even allowed to sit outside if we wanted to, never mind be allowed to go somewhere, unless, of course, it was approved about 8 weeks in advance. I'm exaggerating slightly, but it also depended on how well-liked you were. To this day, 10 years later, I still find myself wondering whether I should be allowed to do something like, for example, go visit a friend if I want to, although family issues exacerbate that. Speaking of which, I can at least say that being away for the 4 years I went to a school for the blind disconnected me from the constant turbulence and drama they brought to the table, which caused resentment among certain members of my family, but ultimately, it's allowed me to see a lot of the shit they do through a detached view, and I'm honestly glad that I'm not as emotionally invested as I could be. Of course, not being emotionally invested has its downsides, too, but enough of that. I do honestly believe that boarding schools encourage independence, but at a cost. It teaches you that you're alone in the world, you have to get your needs met through yourself and no one else, and when you're an adolescent, a lot of people turn to the most unhealthy behaviors they can find to cope with that void. You have this obsession with fending for yourself to such a degree that letting anyone else in becomes damn near impossible.
The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.