5 Reasons Why Stanford Had A Better Year Than Any College In The Country

While many colleges achieved major accomplishments over the past year, Stanford University arguably had the best 2013. From athletics to Nobel Prizes, Stanford students, alumni, and faculty dominated in a variety of fields.

Here's five big reasons why 2013 was Stanford's year:

#1 - Stanford unseated Harvard as America's "dream school"

Stanford is back in the top spot in the Princeton Review's annual "dream school" ranking, after going back and forth the past several years with Harvard.

Princeton Review's list is based on separate surveys of thousands of college applicants and their parents, with Stanford placing first in both categories.

#2 - Young Stanford alumni were at the center of two of the most exciting tech stories of the year

Although Snapchat is currently embroiled in a nasty lawsuit, the Stanford-alumni-created app established itself as a tech powerhouse this year - and was recently named by Business Insider as the startup that "undoubtedly won" 2013.

Additionally, Clinkle CEO and recent Stanford grad Lucas Duplan made headlines earlier this year when he raised $25 million for an app that didn't even exist yet - the largest seed funding round in Silicon Valley history.

Check out a tour of Stanford's "billion dollar fraternities and dorms" here >>

#3 - Unlike the Ivy League, Stanford is becoming more exclusive

Stanford recieved 6,948 applicants for early admission to the Class of 2018, only taking 748 students from its largest applicant pool ever, or 10.8% - more than a full percentage point less than the school posted last year.

This number is even more impressive when compared to applications to the eight Ivy League schools, which almost uniformly posted higher acceptance rates for the Class of 2018 than last year's Class of 2017.

#4 - Cardinal athletics had yet another dominant year

For the 19th year in a row, Stanford took home the NADCA Directors' Cup - given annually to the school with the most overall success in collegiate athletics.

Some highlights from the year include Stanford football's repeat win of the Pac-12 Conference title - in a season that had the Cardinal dominate rival Cal 63-13 in the "Big Game" - and women's tennis winning the NCAA national championship.

#5 - Stanford faculty brought home two Nobel Prizes

Stanford was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Nobel Prizes this year, with two faculty members receiving medals - one in chemistry and one in medicine.

While two other universities scored the same amount of Nobels this year, current Stanford faculty have won five times since 2011, more than any other school in the same period.

Check out the top 10 Stanford University professors here >>