If I would like to study abroad in my junior year then how should I arrange my schedule prior to the semester that I would like to spend abroad?

You should complete all of your 3000-level core courses (Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro and econometrics) before studying abroad. The department will only credit core courses that are the equivalent of the ones that we offer here at Columbia. Many schools do not offer courses that we consider equivalent (for a list of the criteria see the Transfer Credit section above). It is much easier to find elective courses that the department will approve.