“Hala’s Escape from Groundhog Day” by Hala K. '29

Every modern TV show with more than 3 seasons seems to have one thing in common – the Groundhog Day episode.⁠01 and maybe a painfully bad singing one If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it’s the episode where a character suddenly finds themselves stuck reliving the same day over and over again, trapped in a time loop with no clear way out. While most people recognize the plot from a random show they’ve seen – the idea actually comes from a movie called… you guessed it, Groundhog Day! 

After about six weeks at MIT, I’ve started to feel like I’ve fallen straight into that movie – the newest victim of its endless loop.

Welcome to season 18 episode 98 of my life: “Hala’s Escape from Groundhog Day” 

After a week of orientation, I – embarrassingly enough – couldn’t wait for classes to start. Not for the homework or the lectures, but for the routine that came with them. I wanted my Google Calendar to tell me exactly where to be and when. I wanted structure.

Ironically, that craving for structure is exactly how every Groundhog Day episode begins. When the character first realizes that their day is repeating, they love it! With no consequences to their actions, they eat everything in sight, speed through red lights, and even rob banks just because they can.

Similarly, when classes finally started, I was thrilled to take advantage of the fact that I got to live the same life every day. Each morning, I walked into fascinating lectures that felt nothing like the classes I took in high school. I spent afternoons studying in beautiful libraries, surrounded by piles of junk food from Concord Market. I worked through problem sets filled with concepts that actually connected to the kind of work I’ve always wanted to do.

But – as in every Groundhog Day episode – the loop caught up to me. I got bored of waking up at 8 AM every morning, sprinting out of my dorm with a Belvita in hand, sitting through lecture after lecture until I can finally squeeze in lunch at Maseeh,⁠02 one of MIT's 11 dorms  eating the same rice and chicken stir-fry I have every other day, and then, after a few more hours of studying, watching the clock strike midnight so I can go to sleep… only to do it all again the next day.

In every episode, breaking out of the time loop is easy. The character comes to the life-changing realization that they’re a terrible person, decides to change, and suddenly wakes up in the “real world” where life carries on as usual. 

Unfortunately, the real “real world” doesn’t work that way. There’s no dramatic epiphany that can reset the clock. I still have lectures each morning, psets due at 11:59, and midterms looming. I can’t choose to wake up on a day where the loop is gone. 

However, what I’ve realized is that it only feels like a time loop if you let it. Sure, it’s satisfying to finish your psets early or ace an exam, but it’s exhausting if that’s all you’re living for. The best moments from my time here have surprisingly not been scheduled on my Google Calendar – they’re the spontaneous dinners with friends, the late-night walks I take along the Charles river, and crossing out ice cream shops to try in Boston.

From the outside, this might sound like an obvious conclusion. But when you’re caught in a repeating cycle, it’s hard to notice you’re in it – and even harder to break out of it. So, I’ve made myself a promise: to spend at least one hour each day doing something that pulls me out of the loop.

Here are a few ways I’ve started pressing “pause” on Groundhog Day:

spending my sunday morning making a classic Lebanese breakfast

going to a ping pong team practice with friends (we sucked)

going to study at Harvard Business School for the beautiful view and to simply get off campus for a bit

getting the BEST gelato from Amorino on Newbury st.

eating Ramen at Yume Wo Katare where your meal ends with them rating how much you ate (I undeservedly got a "pretty good") and you sharing your lifelong dreams with everyone else at the restaurant.

going all the way from MIT to the Boston Commons to Faneuil Hall and back to Newbury with some old-time friends.

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Truth is, life at MIT – and any university – will always be full of lectures, deadlines, and exams. But I’d rather spend an hour baking desserts in the McCormick⁠03 another one of MIT's 11 dorms kitchen than perfecting my answer to an 8.01 Pset question. 

And also, thank goodness for P/NR.⁠04 Since adjusting to MIT as a first year can be very difficult, all subjects taken in your first semester are graded on a Pass or No Record (P/NR) scale. This means that for each class, if you get over a C-, your transcript will simply show a P and if you get less than a C-, the class will not appear on your transcript at all.