It’s that dreaded time of the semester: Leavey Library fills up, and it feels impossible to get a spot to study. The lighting seems more gray than usual, and rows and rows of desks are occupied by stressed students until late at night, or early in the morning.

Students are inundated with exams, and the last thing they want to deal with is a shortage of study spots in campus libraries, let alone the lack of food options and safe ways to get home.

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USC needs to expand its services during finals to support students at their most stressful time. From what I’ve seen, it seems that Leavey and Doheny Memorial Library are the most popular spots to study, and that’s why they are especially packed during finals week.

During a typical week, Leavey is open 24 hours a day Monday through Thursday and closes at midnight on Friday. On Saturdays, the library opens from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sundays, it opens at 9 a.m. and goes back to the 24-hour cycle. For finals week, starting Sunday, April 28, Leavey will be open 24 hours a day until Wednesday, May 8, when the library opens at midnight and closes at 8 p.m.

As for Doheny, it’s open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and on Friday and Saturday, it closes at 5 p.m. On Sunday, it is open from noon to 8 p.m. For finals week, the hours don’t change; except, on May 8, the library will close at 5 p.m.

Even when Leavey provides its services for 24 hours a day, finding a seat is challenging unless you’re studying at a very late time. Rachael Wen, a sophomore majoring in cognitive science, said she frequents Leavey, but she doesn’t enjoy studying there during finals week.

“It’s so crowded … you already have to motivate yourself to study … and then you’re having to fight for seats,” Wen said.

Although it might be financially impractical to extend hours for every library on campus, investing in the success of students during such a critical time is necessary. Since it’s a popular study destination, instead of its regular hours of operations, Doheny should at least expand its time from 9 a.m. to midnight during finals week.

Colin Stillman, a sophomore majoring in economics and environmental studies, said he believes extending a variety of libraries’ operating hours and opening more study spaces would be helpful.

“Some people just don’t like studying [at Leavey], there’s also just realistically not enough space,” Stillman said. “You could open the First [Generation Plus] Success Center — or anything in the Student Union, really.”

When studying for a long time, it’s inevitable that students will get hungry. Typically during finals week, the dining halls have something called “Midnight Breakfast.” This is a three-day event (one day for each different dining hall) where students are able to eat breakfast food items from midnight to 3 a.m. These ultimately feel like a waste of time, with lines snaking around the corner, and the spaces packed with tired and eager students.

While I don’t think we should get rid of Midnight Breakfast — because personally, I think the food is better than normal during those times — the hours of operation for dining halls and other campus food spots like Starbucks at Trojan Grounds should be extended for the whole duration of finals week.

I’ve pulled numerous all-nighters during study period and finals week, and having access to food and coffee during this time would help fuel students during their late nights. While paying for staff to keep the dining halls open may be expensive, it would provide support for its students.

Once studying is done, students need to get home. Last semester, the free shared Lyft services were extended from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for finals week. But, many students start studying for finals even before the designated week for tests.

Ideally, the extended shared Lyft hours would begin when study days start, which, for this semester, is four days before the first day of finals. This would also align with Leavey’s extended hours as its 24-hour days start during our study days. While it would be a hefty expense for USC, student safety is invaluable.

Finals week is demanding for most students, and the weeks leading up to our exams are equally stressful. The least the University could do is provide the resources and services to best support its students during such a crucial time. We deserve access to better study spots, food options and longer transportation hours to make studying for copious tests manageable.