As economic uncertainty continues to linger, more families are taking stock of potential alternatives to the traditional path to a four-year college degree, according to U.S. News & World Report. A popular option is one that involves taking the first two years of college at a less expensive two- or four-year college and then transferring into a higher profile (and higher priced) four-year institution from which the degree is granted. On the surface, this strategy seems very practical as a cost-savings measure. It becomes even more so if the student is able to avoid residential expenses by living at home for the first two years. Upon closer examination, however, the net impact–financially and educationally–might not always match expectations…