So, today was the midterm for my Data Structures & Algorithms class. I wasn't prepared, but what else is new? I showed up about 5 minutes late and started writing. I could see that I was screwed, know full well that I was probably going to fail or at least do very poorly. Just when I was at my greatest despair (about 15-20 minutes into writing), I heard the sweetest sound in the world; the fire alarm.
Everyone kind of looked around, and at the prof, nobody got up right away because we didn't know what to do in this situation. I'd had fire alarms go off just before exams before, but never while one was already underway. The prof didn't really seem to know what to do either. After about 20-30 seconds of silence, he just said "Alright, leave your tests and go outside".
We did so, and about 3-5 minutes later four firetrucks arrive (while seemed like a long time to me, since the nearest fire station is like two blocks away), so we knew it wasn't a drill (not that I expected a drill would coincide with a test). The firemen (yes, they were all male, so I'm being politically correct) go inside and check things out, and around me I'm hearing very little discussion about the test, which might or might not be what you would expect (this might have been because the prof and TA/GAs were close by).
So, a few minutes go by (I'm freezing, I left all my belongings inside, including my coat) and they determine that it was a false alarm. The TAs tell us to wait, and go inside. They come out a couple of minutes later and tell us we can re-enter. When we do, we see that they've collected our unfinished tests. The prof announces that the exam is canceled and we will have to write it at a later date. This is obviously the logical thing to do, since it has been compromised, but knowing this prof I half expected him to have a second test ready to be distributed for just such an occasion.
I later found out that the alarm had been pulled on the third floor (the floor that we were writing on), and that we were the only ones up there. This seems kind of odd to me, because I know for a fact nobody left the room once the test started, so it must have either been somebody that never entered the room, or someone got a friend to do it. In any case, why would they go all the way up to the third floor to pull the alarm when they could just as easily have done it from the first? All pulling it from the third seems to accomplish is confirming that it's related to the test we were writing. Seems stupid to me.
I was pretty happy to get extra time to study. Anyway, I don't know, post about similar experiences that you've had.
Everyone kind of looked around, and at the prof, nobody got up right away because we didn't know what to do in this situation. I'd had fire alarms go off just before exams before, but never while one was already underway. The prof didn't really seem to know what to do either. After about 20-30 seconds of silence, he just said "Alright, leave your tests and go outside".
We did so, and about 3-5 minutes later four firetrucks arrive (while seemed like a long time to me, since the nearest fire station is like two blocks away), so we knew it wasn't a drill (not that I expected a drill would coincide with a test). The firemen (yes, they were all male, so I'm being politically correct) go inside and check things out, and around me I'm hearing very little discussion about the test, which might or might not be what you would expect (this might have been because the prof and TA/GAs were close by).
So, a few minutes go by (I'm freezing, I left all my belongings inside, including my coat) and they determine that it was a false alarm. The TAs tell us to wait, and go inside. They come out a couple of minutes later and tell us we can re-enter. When we do, we see that they've collected our unfinished tests. The prof announces that the exam is canceled and we will have to write it at a later date. This is obviously the logical thing to do, since it has been compromised, but knowing this prof I half expected him to have a second test ready to be distributed for just such an occasion.
I later found out that the alarm had been pulled on the third floor (the floor that we were writing on), and that we were the only ones up there. This seems kind of odd to me, because I know for a fact nobody left the room once the test started, so it must have either been somebody that never entered the room, or someone got a friend to do it. In any case, why would they go all the way up to the third floor to pull the alarm when they could just as easily have done it from the first? All pulling it from the third seems to accomplish is confirming that it's related to the test we were writing. Seems stupid to me.
I was pretty happy to get extra time to study. Anyway, I don't know, post about similar experiences that you've had.
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Originally Posted by Chaz Ghostle
