The first thing to disabuse yourself of is that there is such a thing as higher or lower expectations. The reality is that if you find a boy that you can connect with and that treats you with respect and with whom you can build a life together, than you have achieved the very best FOR YOU. Regardless of what is or isn’t on the shidduch CV.
You need to make it clear to your parents that it is your life and that YOU are the one who is going to live with the consequences of being married to whomever it is you marry. Therefore, it is only right and just that YOU have the final say.
I do not know your parents or circumstances, so I am not sure to what extent what I am about to say applies to you, so if I am totally off the mark, feel free to ignore it.
An unfortunate blight on our communities is called living through our children. Which, put another way means that my self-esteem is dependent on my son being the next Vilna Gaon or my daughter marrying the next R. Akiva Eiger (or at the very least someone I can pass off as being some sort of prodigy). Such people seem to regard their childrens’ ultimate happiness as some sort of annoying inconvenience and certainly nothing to be concerned about.
Very often this dysfunctional attitude is compounded by a chronic need to impress or have the approval of others. Again, the ultimate consequences for our childrens’ happiness is ignored.
This is manifestly unfair and in some ways is a perversion of how Bnei Torah should view the world.
Practically, what you need to do is make a time to talk to your parents. It may be a good idea to go out for coffee or dinner and then lay it out for them. Be very clear that you have thought through what you want out of life and insist that they respect you and your choices. Remember, you are choosing to live a different type of Torah life to the one they may have mapped out for you, but it is still a Torah life and thus a valid choice that is your sole prerogative to make.
Hopefully, they will respect that and there will be no issue or problem. If they can’t, you need to be clear in your own mind that they are the ones with a problem, not you. At that point, you may want to enlist a Rav/Rebbitzen that can talk to them on your behalf. Be respectful but firm and it will all work out in the end.
Hatzlocha Rabbah.