<p>Since the top engineering schools use GPA as part of admissions criteria (because they can, at least), your friend would probably be better off applying to community colleges. Once in, your friend should try to do as well as possible, and transfer to as good an engineering school as possible, and try to do as well as possible there.</p>
<p>In my experience, high school GPAs rarely, if ever, factor into hiring or grad school admissions. I think a low HS GPA can much more easily be “forgiven” than a low college/university GPA.</p>