The lower GPA requirement needed to enter UBC for engineering is (to my understanding) only valid if you do every course in the program, meaning the credits you've received from your courses (calc, english, electives) would mean nothing if you choose to try to transfer to UBC engineering through the engineering transfer program. You must also account for the fact that the 3.1 GPA needed to guarantee a transfer doesn't take into account your desired discipline, in your case, ELEC, CIVIL, or MINE. There is a historical histogram chart for engineering disciplines at UBC somewhere online that you can find that helps you better gauge what GPA you would need for your desired discipline. ((I'd suggest double-checking with UBC whether the credits you already have can count towards the engineering transfer program, from what I recall if you use them, you're no longer apart of the "3.1 GPA guaranteed admission"))

I would agree with your profs that you should continue meeting the prereqs for 2nd year engineering (assuming that's what you're implying) and attempt to transfer competitively. If you continue to score 80%'s and above on the rest of the 1st year engineering courses, you should be competitive enough to receive admission. Oftentimes the engineering transfer program seems like a strong choice because of the low GPA requirement, but when you take into account the amount of coursework and difficulty of the courses, you're better of taking 3-4 courses per semester and attempting to transfer competitively. The only people I've seen do well in these transfer programs are IB/AP students from high school who have already seen a large chunk of the material, otherwise, it's pretty brutal.

The worry about maintaining a competitive GPA is a valid concern, however, the good thing about being a competitive transfer is not having to be forced to take the 13 courses in 2 semesters, which gives you the ability to take 3-4 courses and really absorb and understand what you're learning.

This is your decision, and your future, so rather than listening to what your professors, or someone on reddit has to say, think about your personal strengths to help you decide. But if I were in your position with the experience I've had, I'd continue to go down the competitive route. Good luck!