They just went under the US News list of CS programs and looked at the top 10 (the only schools they can name off the top of their heads are Penn State and Harvard).
They don’t understand that stats alone won’t guarantee admission. The final list is up to me, so I want to pick more realistic and somewhat affordable options, but they insist on insanely selective name-brand schools like Harvard and MIT. That said, I believe they would support me at any school given that I can prove it’s the right choice academically and financially, so it’s just a matter of finding the right balance.