Gee, the question’s not silly, but to answer with so much emphasis on gpa, I think, misses the point.
I’m with bernie, I think, sorta. To boil it down, it depends very much on the kid, how he takes to challenges (if he easily lifts his own bar and he’s happy to do so,) what courses, in combo with what others, and which professors.
In other words, there is no standard answer.
A lot will also depend on the kid’s real, true, rigorous and comprehensive prep. It’s harder, of course, to keep up if you’re personally behind the prep of others in your classes. Or weren’t exposed to rigorous thinking and analysis. You need to take a hard look at his real basis.
That has zero to do with hs gpa. Or even scores. Or college gpa.
The place I think you want to worry about relative difficulty is what we characterize as cooperative vs competitive pre med courses/programs. As someone pointed out, some colleges weed pre meds brutally. That’s where you want to choose wisely. But determined kids get over it, do what it takes, get past it, move forward, while others are scared off.
The math kid who would study 3 hours daily at Penn, if he’s properly prepared, coming in, would likely study 3 hours at Princeton. Or pick a number.