GPA was not much of a factor in my analysis. Low GPA issue is also a concern at some schools just to change major… so it can be a factor in 4 year programs. (I often warn student about that snafu).
I made judgement based on my own MechE college memories and study of various schools for my kids (one that stuck with engineering and another that did not). Here are a few of the reasons I did not like 3-2:
- Engineering is different from a lot of other majors. It has itnertwined course sequences that work better in a traditional 4 year program. Each school is a little different, but here's an example flowchart (the format show typical prereq/interdependencies.. use Ctrl-+ to zoom in to make it more readable). http://mechanical.mines.edu/MECH-flowchart
- Unless the 2nd college is in the same town, I can't envision a student wanting to switch schools right before his buddies head into senior year.
- There is an extra year of college costs
- The first three years won't have enough meaty engineering work to help the student confirm that it's the right path. So the typical freshman attrition (a good thing for students not a good fit for engineering).does not have its natural progression.