There’s nothing quite like the first few days of law school. Everyone shows up to class twenty minutes early to scope out the perfect seat that they’ll occupy for the next three-and-a-half months. I kid you not when I say that I showed up to one class seven minutes early last week, and I was still the last one to arrive before class started.

While this may just seem like law students being more Type A than usual, the stakes of this decision could be legitimately high. Are you going to do well in this class? Or are you going to become way more invested in the online shopping habits of the person in front of you than the ins and outs of civil procedure? It all comes down to the seat you’re going to be sitting in every day and the view it provides you.

Fortunately, you still have a few more days before the opportunity to choose a new seat is over until January. But, the window is closing fast. Here’s the vibe of each possible section at your disposal.

1. Front, center

If you haven’t scooped up a seat in the center of the first two rows of your lecture hall yet, this section probably isn’t for you. Those in the front and center want to be seen, and they’re going to be seen. These students have multiple highlighters (none of which are dry), they’re regulars at office hours, and they probably actually begin their outlines before Thanksgiving. I envy and fear them from afar.

2. Front, to the side

If you too have multiple functioning highlighters, but you would rather just be confused than ever attend an office hour, this might be your section. These students are just as diligent as those who sit front and center, but they don’t want any direct eye contact from a professor begging someone to describe a case from last night’s reading. This is also a good section to consider if you know you’ll be physically unable to focus on a course’s subject matter from anywhere behind the third row.

3. Middle, center

The one thing I can say about the students in this section is that they haven’t given up. They may be doing the New York Times crossword puzzle, but they’ll also take a few notes when something seems important. They’ve done the reading, and that’s good enough. No judgment here.

4. Middle, to the side

Honestly, I have no idea what goes on in this section. Who are these people? This is the black hole of the lecture hall – proceed with caution.

5. Back, center

To sit in this section and find success, you have to have pretty solid concentration. The bottom line is, there’s going to be a lot going on between you and the professor. If you’re going to be distracted by the aforementioned online shopping or New York Times crossword, look for a seat elsewhere. But, if you can handle having some blocked views and prefer relative anonymity, this can be a good place to sit.

6. Back, to the side

These students are either looking for an easy in, or an easy out. If you’re the type of person who’s consistently going to be dashing into class five minutes late, or strolling in ten minutes late with an iced coffee, this is the section for you. Slip through the back door when you’re ready and no one will be the wiser. However, be mindful that these seats are some of the least permanent in the entire class: If you’re late, you can never be sure that some slightly less-late student won’t nab your spot. Thus, get comfortable with some musical chairs for the semester.

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Tess Halpern is a third-year student and president of the Impact blog. Contact her at halperte@bc.edu.