COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Students at Michigan State University said it’s going to take some time to process what happened during a mass shooting on campus Monday night.

Some were out studying or out to dinner when the evening took a scary turn, ending with three students dead and five more injured.

“Just a normal Monday evening and then you’re in a situation where you have to fear for your life is something we’re going to be dealing with for a long time,” said Michigan student Jordyn Wickes, who is from Ohio.

A sophomore medical engineering major, Wickes said despite going through active shooter drills while growing up, no matter how much you run through those scenarios, you never expect to have to use what you’ve learned, but on Monday, she did.

“We’ve grown up kind of getting trained on what to do and that it was a reality that these things happen, but you never think it’s going to happen to you until it does,” she said.

Wickes was having a typical Monday night, studying with friends in the engineering building. Then they received an alert about a shooting on campus. At the time, the community didn’t know where the shooter was.

“Having to just be in that situation and accept it and deal with it and know your next move in that spot, I don’t really think there’s a word to describe that,” she said.

The group she was studying with and others in the building started looking for a safe place to go.

“Checking every classroom again, checking hallways, running as fast as we can to find a safe location, and then once we get into it, lock the doors, lights off, and we barricaded the door,” Wickes said.

The group ended up spending 30 silent minutes in that room.

The shooting and the response to it have Ohio State University looking at its own plans.

“It definitely weighs heavy on us, and our thoughts go out to the folks at Michigan State,” said Monica Moll, director of public safety for Ohio State. “And its an opportunity for us, too, that any time something like this happens around the country, we review our protocols.”

Wickes plays soccer at Michigan State. She said waiting to hear back from friends and teammates who were all over campus was an overwhelming feeling.

“It was definitely terrifying and everyone’s kind of in a different spot with their healing process in dealing with this, but it’s just so surreal,” she said.

Wickes said the group she was with finally ended up leaving the engineering building at about 1 a.m.

Michigan State has canceled classes until Monday and Wickes said many students have gone home.