There seems to be some confusion about freshman grades every year…and their importance or lack of importance. Here is what they officially say:
http://admission.stanford.edu/application/freshman/transcripts.html
But, needless to say…it would always look better to have “consistently” done well including 9th grade…don’t you think? After all, your high school counselor will write your evaluation/recommendation about how strong the rigor and grades really are compared to your other high school classmates (based on your entire high school grade history…and not just the last 3 years)…
…and Stanford admissions officers are “human” (they’re not blind) and they will have access to your “entire” transcript regardless of what grades they “emphasize”…
…and** focus** does not mean…we will completely ignore…
…think about it.