Why do some people seem to effortlessly succeed in college, graduate school, or as faculty - and why do many others struggle? The answer to this can be found in a phenomenon called the “hidden curriculum” - the unwritten set of rules of the game in academia that can determine who finds and climbs the ladders, and who falls through the chutes. The “hidden curriculum” is part of the academic safety net that increases resilience, persistence to matriculation, and success in academia at all levels. If academia is a game, the “hidden curriculum” is the secret map showing where the pitfalls are, how to avoid them, and how to advance through to the next level. We recognize that few scholars fit neatly into just one of the categories we cover in these chapters. People have multiple identities, and we acknowledge how intersectionality amplifies bias and discrimination of historically excluded scholars. In this volume we explore the hidden curriculum as seen through the lens of undergraduate and graduate students, international students, scholars on the job market, non-tenure track faculty, junior and senior faculty, scholars who are also primary caregivers, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC scholars, women+, and first generation scholars. Scholars who hold multiple identities face multiple obstacles and have more chutes - and fewer ladders - in their academic career. We hope that the contributors to this volume provide a comprehensive picture of the systemic changes needed to best serve all scholars and to support institutional missions of diversity, inclusion, and equity in a way that makes academic success - whether defined as matriculation and degree attainment, tenure and promotion, or other career achievement milestones - more accessible for everyone.