I'm in Micro 1b03 right now, but only took it for the sake of getting good grade. But i was hearing that last year the exam for this course was brutal, so in that case i don't really see the point of taking this course... I would rather take econ 1bb3, which seem much more appealing to me.
I hear that econ 1bb3 is harder than 1b03, is that because there's simply more stuff to memorize (because it's not mathy as 1b03?) and is SA questions on test straightforward as well?

I found that Econ1B03's midterms were easier compared to Econ1BB3's midterms.

There is no more SA in Macro.

I found 1B03 easier than 1BB3, but this could be biased because I really enjoyed Holmes and didnt find the math difficult. I also took 1BB3 this passed summer so that may also contribute to why I disliked it.

I would go with 1BB3. Just master the examples you did in class... and you will get a 12.

I personally preferred 1BB3 because I've always found macro-based classes WAY more interesting (I tend to prefer public policy type stuff rather than learning a ton of graphs. I found it easier because I preferred the subject material and thus had an easier time staying on top of it and studying. I got a 12; O'Shaughnessy is a fantastic prof.

If macro sounds more appealing to you, take it, your grade will reflect that interest. Take it.

The first month of econ 1b03 was basically the same as econ 1bb3. I thought they were both fairly easy

One subject compared to another in terms of difficulty depends on a few things..a few things from that list would be where your interests lie, and what are your strengths and difficulties.

For the above reasons, I found 1B03 much easier than 1BB3 since I found 1B03 more Math based and 1BB3 more theory based. I couldn't give 1BB3 as much time as I gave 1B03 due to the other courses I had in my second term and the overall increase in the course-load. It is always possible to get a 12 in both courses..though I only got an 11 in 1BB3 which I was disappointed with, but oh well.

the prof says reading the textbook because the stuff she doesn't cover in lecture will be on the tests and exams. is this true?

Read the summaries. If there's anything you don't understand/need to go more in depth on, review it in the text. All in all noooot a ton of stuff from the text was tested but it's helpful to read, especially in the later chapters.

They are both bird courses, but 1bb3 is slightly less bird like than 1b03. both easy tho