It sounds like OP heard too much Parent Talk and skedaddled.
My take is she grew up in a sheltered academic environment, probably similar to what her parents experienced, and was planning on rolling right into another round of the same, High School 2.0. Her parents knew from their experience that getting out and seeing anything else, anything larger or better, would at least be a start in preparing for a better adulthood and are trying to get her out of her comfort zone for a year before she follows the tracks her peers are laying down.
My advice is talk to school X about taking a sabbatical year after sophomore year. Go to X for two years, then go to Y, see the world, don’t rely on the lame study abroad offerings from X. Chances are good that if you’re there and want to come back you’ll be allowed to take that year off.