On March 22, 2024, the sun was shining as bright as ever. It seemed that the day would proceed normally as if nothing would happen. But who would have thought, suddenly at 11.22 WIB the first earthquake occurred after a long time without an earthquake, which shook the buildings at the Surabaya Integrated Science and Technology Institute (ISTTS). An earthquake rocked Surabaya with a magnitude of 6.4 which was centered northeast of Tuban, East Java. However, what made this incident even more shocking was the fact that on that day, the Mid-Semester Examination (UTS) was taking place which was attended by all ISTTS students. The first earthquake occurred just as female students were writing their exam questions.

The strong vibrations that occurred made the ISTTS buildings shake and triggered panic not only among students, but also among lecturers and all ISTTS residents. The majority of people who were on the upper floors of the buildings at ISTTS immediately went down to the lower floors as a precaution. However, it turned out that not everyone immediately responded quickly to the earthquake that day.

The reactions of lecturers and exam supervisors varied widely. Some tried to maintain calm among the students while giving evacuation instructions, some immediately went downstairs, while others looked confused and didn't know what to do. "During the earthquake, I was sitting in the exam room doing ECC questions, then suddenly everything shook. I thought I was having a migraine, but eh, it turned out to be an earthquake," said one of the Informatics Engineering students at ISTTS. On the other hand, there was an even more unique reaction from an Informatics Engineering student too. At first, he said "Wow, why is it shaking, it's really funny!", before he finally realized, "EH EARTHQUAKE!!".

For students, the earthquake that occurred during the Midterm Examination (UTS) is not an experience that is easily forgotten. Some of them revealed that despite being shocked and scared, most still tried to complete their exams. It's not uncommon for someone to say, "A little earthquake doesn't matter, what's important is that the exam is finished," said one student. However, there are also those who feel that their life priority remains number one. "I really panicked, I immediately ran downstairs and all the things didn't stay up there," said one of the students.

After the earthquake ended and the exams had been passed, the students seemed very enthusiastic about sharing their experiences during the earthquake. Even after the earthquake, they were still cheerful and continued their activities as usual. The Student Lounge and E-Library, which is a place for students to relax, looks very busy with people playing games, doing assignments, practicing for the Catholic Student Family (KMK) event or just sitting around enjoying their free time. Even so, this experience still remained in their minds because the earthquake did not only happen once that day.

The earthquake was felt again at 12.31 WIB and at 15.52 WIB. The strength of the earthquake also ranged from 6 on the Richter Scale (SR) with the epicenter close to the epicenter of the previous earthquake. It was these three earthquakes that were felt most by ISTTS residents. In fact, there were dozens of aftershocks that day. Fortunately, there were no casualties or collapse of buildings at ISTTS. However, as a precaution, one of the student activities, namely the 2024 Bunkasai meeting, has been cancelled. The committee members were allowed to return to their homes and meetings were held online. This is done as a form of disaster anticipation and mitigation.

Regardless of the debate between exams or life, the earthquake in Surabaya provides a strong reminder that safety must remain the top priority in every situation, even in the midst of important academic exams. This story reminds us that when facing natural disasters, life and safety must always be the top priority. Although exams and education are an important part of a college student's life, they should not outweigh the value of a life. It is hoped that this earthquake event will help to develop strategies to deal with emergencies such as earthquakes in the future.