It’s tough because he’s an adolescent.
The adolescent mindset devalues something that is easier to get and overvalues something that is tougher to get because consciously or unconsciously, external validation and feels are (nearly) everything. Because they’ve never had to work to pay to put food on the table, a roof over them and their loved ones, retirement savings, or just keeping the wolf from the door.
I know and can sympathize since I was an adolescent once too.
An adult would look at the situation with a cold hard eye because they understand that high 5 figures is real money. That’s an amount some people slave away for decades to save up. And some don’t manage to do so even after decades.
Also doesn’t need external validation so much because, well, they’re an adult.
So maybe challenge him. Does he want to stay an adolescent or does he want to become an adult? Especially since he wants to enter a field that doesn’t really coddle that much.
And that’s not even taking in to account that Miami is an original public Ivy and well-regarded and seen as beautiful by many.
BTW, the RedHawks were recently a power in hockey, making the NCAA tournament 10 times from 2004-2015 and the Frozen Four a couple of times a decade ago.