Hello! I am an incoming freshman and I plan on majoring in math and minoring in environmental science (I’m most likely going to become a math teacher in high school). I absolutely LOVE UC Davis (went there for decision day :D) but I also like CSU Monterey Bay. If I go to Davis I will need to accumulate around $50,000 worth of debt over my four years but if I go to CSUMB I might be able to pay out of pocket with scholarship help. I’m totally torn. I’m definitely going to go to grad school to get a masters, so will the prestige of my undergraduate school matter in getting into grad school? I was thinking maybe go to CSUMB for undergrad and Davis for grad, but I don’t know anything. Thoughts?
UCD is a great school but not worth accumulating $50,000 worth of debt. That amount of debt would take years to pay off on the salary of a high school teacher and would severely curtail your life style. It sounds as if you like CSUMB also-if so it would be a much wiser choice. You will get a good education and have more options financially to attend a graduate program. The prestige of your undergrad program will not affect your grad school admissions as much as your GPA will. You are smart to have second thoughts about UCD.
$50k in debt for your BS would be a mistake - especially if you want to be a teacher. That requires more school (and it’s more expensive). Of the 2, CSU MB is probably the right choice.
I agree with all the above ^^ CSUMB is a much better deal considering you plan to go into teaching. If you had planned on majoring in Environmental Science, then I would say UCD is the place. Like you stated in your post, goint to UCD for Grad school is an excellent idea. Good Luck.
Ok, so I contacted financial aid and it might not be $50k worth of debt, but it will be at the very least $20k. Same thoughts? Thanks again for all of the info guys 
Teachers make on the much lower end, so less debt is better. On the other hand, UCD is a great school with lots of resources, and I know that CSUMB is a very inactive and dead school. I can almost guarantee that Davis will be more fun, if that is important to you. Also the math department here is amazing. And if, like you said, you would have $20k in debt, it’s not atrocious.
I agree with the above… if you can handle to 20K, UCD would be the better option for a many reasons - excellent math department, great contacts and alumni, ample opportunities, so much to offer! UCD for sure! Good luck!!
My dd goes to UCD and has a very active calendar, both with volunteering, as well as with her social activities. She absolutely loves her school and, unfortunately travels often with her friends to SF, Sac and Berkeley. If you can do it financially, go to UCD, it can also get a lot hotter than MB, so be aware of the heat.
For an engineering or CS major which can pay $70k+ with just a BS, I say the debt was a good idea.
Davis is a better school but, remember, you need to save some coin for your credential program. If you’ll need to take on $20k in loans, it’s not worth for the degree you are pursuing.
Someone who gets a math degree at CSUMB then a credential at Sonoma State is no less qualified to teach high school math than someone who gets a BS from UCD and credential UCD.
Both will readily find jobs but, neither is likely to make $45k year 1. You will be struggling to make the minimum payments for many years.
CSUMB has a really awesome math teacher credential program and you wont have to take the test