How can I make my dad realize I can't get into the colleges he is convinced I can get into..?

[ItsJustSchool]

I found some of these articles interesting. The first (from 2014) argues that it is, in fact, no more difficult to be accepted to selective schools now (or in 2004, to be accurate) than it was in the 1990’s:

But “beneath the headlines and urban legends,” Jim Hull, senior policy analyst at the National School Board Association’s Center for Public Education, says their 2010 report shows that it was no more difficult for most students to get into college in 2004 than it was in 1992.

the number of American high school seniors is shrinking, having peaked in 2011. At the same time, according to Noodle’s data, the number of seats at competitive colleges has grown faster than the total pool of qualified applicants—raising a student’s chances of getting into a “selective college,”

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/is-college-really-harder-to-get-into-than-it-used-to-be/360114/

The other (from 2001) is an interesting analysis of how ED favors increasing the quality of student admitted, as well as the selectivity of the school (albeit by disadvantaging the student), and shows how University of Pennsylvania used this approach to advantage:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/09/the-early-decision-racket/302280/