<p>Your dad will always feel disappointed and sad unless you can somehow make him understand that rankings (especially when two colleges are near the very top and close to one another) don’t mean much. It’ll be tough, but ask him why he thinks because one magazine says one school is “3rd” while another is, say, “5th.” His answer should serve as a starting point for you to destroy his arguments. There is really no way to get him to realize how hard line he is being without making him realize putting that much emphasis on rankings is obsessive and unhealthy. Not sure about his other reasons (such as making you grow up) that are probably tied to his personal beliefs about his family, but definitely make him understand the relative worthlessness of rankings when compared to reality.</p>