The focus on studies is weird.
But the piercing could be an advise for his University.
Some schools have strict dress codes and don't allow male students to have piercings after all.
But that's only for schools, right? I don't think there are universities that force students to wear uniforms... (just checked quickly and there are some countries that actually do just that, but Japan isn't one of them.)
To me, the weird part is the piercings. In university, you are treated as an adult. Everything is your responsibility, and if you don't do something, no one is going to reach out to you. They'll just fail you. So a university nitpicking about piercings makes little sense to me.
I understood the "focus on your studies" as: "You have good grades, but for the really good universities you need even better grades." Could be the case, but he could also be already good enough to ace the entrace exams. Idk
And that's a great dad. "I'll figure something out" for his wife, so that both her and their child can be happy is great. In so many stories we get a parent choosing one person and making them happy at the cost of the other person...