leaving mixed university

i dropped out of a decent mixed university and started going to an online university, and i kept it from my parents for a while. now ive finally gained the courage to tell one of them and theyre not v pleased with me especially since i kept it from them (totally my fault ofc). the thing is, we're a religious family in some ways but not in others. we know the basic fardh but islam isn't part of every aspect of our lives the way it should be. i feel like every time i mention a ruling i learn (im not that learned, i often check islamqa.info and see what they have to say, inshaAllah im working on gaining knowledge though) im told im being too extreme. so i didn't manage to tell them the reason why as it pertains to free mixing and what the scholars say (although i will say i wasnt doing well in uni so thats a reason too). any advice on telling them the reason why, and can you also share resources i can use in this regard?