Newbie, this is all so unfair for you!
I kind of know what you're feeling though...When I decided to leave Tulane for LSU, my mom told me things that hurt me very much - that I peaked in High School, that I was too good for LSU and that I was wasting my college education, that I just went to be with my boyfriend and friends, if I had given Tulane another try, I would have learned to be happy there.
Even still, she tells people "yes, she goes to LSU. But she had a very good scholarship to Tulane." Same thing happens with my roomate who transferred to LSU from TCU. Her mom points out how she had scholarships to TCU, even though she goes to LSU now.
If you can just get over the hurdle of picking a school, I think your parents will be happy if they see you happy. I hope so. When I was at Tulane, I cried every day. After some time at LSU, I became a much happier, well-adjusted person. And my mom saw that and is happy that I feel good about myself. Yeah, I know I kinda sold out for an easier school, that I could have gone Ivy if I would have wanted to leave the state, but overall, it was a good choice.
Would a school like UCLA be a good comprimise for you and them? Is there ANY place that ya'll could comprimise on? How about taking a visit to U of A to see their campus, talk with a career counsellor there.
Every school is ranked highly on SOMETHING. LSU isnt' tops in a lot of things with the US News crowd, but our Business school got named in the top 10 by a business journal. So there's gotta be some statistics and rankings out there by some less-well-known publication that can work in your favor.
Good luck. I hope this helps some.
