Purdue vs UCSC vs UCR vs UC Davis vs Cal Poly Slo

I want to major in something Business related, find a job in CA (I am open to the idea of going to Grad School), find an affordable option, and meet diverse, hardworking, smart, and cultured (who know about basic references & pop culture) people.
I was accepted to Purdue’s Finance, just got accepted off UCSC’s waitlist for Business Managerial Economics (I have about 2 days to accept), accepted to UCR’s Business Economics, and have been waitlisted by UC Davis’s Economics and Cal Poly Slo’s Statistics (I plan to change to Business Admin ASAP if accepted).
I’ve heard I can email UCSC to let them know I need more time to decide and I know UC Davis and Cal Poly Slo are uncertain even though I’ve emailed both schools after being waitlisted to show my continued interest.
Realistically speaking, right now, I am conflicted on choosing between Purdue’s Finance vs UCSC’s Business Managerial Economics. Purdue is more prestigious but is out of state while UCSC is less prestigious but is in state, which could possibly make it easier to find connections in CA. Which one will give me a better chance at landing a decent job in CA? If neither can, I am willing to go to Graduate School at UCLA or Berkeley ideally.
In another circumstance, if I were to be admitted by all of these schools, which one should I choose to meet my wants?
Also, how do these schools compare with UCLA, Berkeley, UCSD, UCSB, and UCI?
I understand college is what you make of it, but disregarding that I don’t know which school will give me the best chance of achieving what I want.

How do net price and debt compare?

Run the cost figures here: https://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml

If you want good connections right out of college in CA, you are best off studying in CA as an undergrad. Don’t plan now on going straight to grad school in business. The good grad schools for business will expect 3 - 5 years of increasingly responsible work experience.

My my mom says if I go to Purdue, there is possibly a $20,000-$40,000 debt after college, but if I go to UCSC, I will virtually have no debt at all:

I totally agree with that but my only concern was if UCSC’s BME could provide me with connections to a decent first job because I don’t know how much Business recruiters even look at UCSC, how good the connections are, etc.

More than $27k debt total for four years would require parent loans or cosigned loans, which would not be a good idea.

Don’t take on unnecessary debt!

Who’s debt? Mom’s or yours?

Note that you can’t borrow more than $27K total as an undergrad w/o a cosigner (see https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized_ So even more important, is mom’s number from a FA evaluation or her guess? If the school says your family can afford full pay but mom can’t swing it w/o loans then Fed loans are off the table and you will only be able to get private loans with a cosigner.

The difference between $20K and $40K is big! I could possibly justify $20K but not $40K. The thing is you don’t know what the future looks like. If you land a $50K/yr job out of college then the payment on $40K of debt may not look so bad. If, like many students, you need to start with an unpaid internship or lowly paid entry job after college then you will either be unhappy for quite a while, or perhaps even unable to take the position even if it is the best (or only) way to start in your chosen field. Of course that is me; you may be a bigger risk-taker.

I know people that got degrees in Econ from UCSC and they did ok out of college; however they didn’t expect the degree alone to open doors. They hustled to find internships while in college.

Right now you only have 3 options: Purdue or UCR or UCSC. I assume that you are instate for UC?

Purdue is just too expensive, so that leaves the two UC’s. Personally, I’d go with UCSC since SV is a hot marketplace. (or at least was…who knows what will happen in 4 years)

Graduating debt free is awesome.