Sections

1Ls at the University of Chicago are broken down into six sections of around 32 students each, lettered A through F. Except for the legal reading and writing class (called Bigelow at Chicago), all the required first-year classes are taught to three sections at a time, but it's not the same three sections grouped together for every class. Thus, section A might be grouped with sections B and F for Criminal Law, but might be grouped with D and F for Property.

Section assignments will determine all but one class taken during the first year of law school: in the third quarter 1Ls are to select one elective. This year, the elective choices are: American Legal History; Copyright; Economic Analysis of the Law; Health Law; Law of Education; and Parent, Child, and the State.

Maddeningly, we can see, via the Law School's website, the class schedule for each section for the entire school year and the required book list for every first-quarter class. There are two weeks remaining before orientation, and we have not yet been told which section we have been assigned. If the Law School informs us of our section assignments in advance, we will have the luxury of obtaining books through whatever chanels we choose. However, I have heard that we will not be told of our section assignments until the first day of orientation, leaving little time for books to be ordered online and possibly forcing many students to buy their books in what is likely the most expensive way: new at the campus bookstore.

Tanner Jones faced this exact problem and offers an exhaustive economic analysis in his post on Waste and Pareto Inefficiency in the Columbia Bookstore.