There is an old quote, commonly attributed to Albert Einstein, which says “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” While the actual utterance of the phrase by Einstein is disputed, the truth behind the mantra is not. In any competitive atmosphere, you must first understand the rules of play before you can successfully compete and ultimately win.

In basketball, for instance, a player cannot walk or run with the ball more than 1.5 steps or that is considered a “travel.” When a player dribbles the ball, picks up the ball with both hands and resumes her dribble, that is considered a “double dribble.” Both of these violations turn the ball over to the opposing team. In basketball, if you fail to understand the rules of the game, you will severely handicap yourself. Similarly, many underrepresented students do not understand the rules of the game with respect to entry into legal education.