2025 Internships For US Full-Year Exchange Student

Hello fellow monkeys,
I had some questions regarding maximising my stay in the US given that I am from the UK. This community has been of great help in guiding me throughout my career search, your help here is also greatly appreciated.
For context: I am from a UK semi-target university (think Nottingham, Warwick, Bristol etc...) and was recently accepted into an Exchange Year Programme at Cornell University for 2025, interested in pursuing investment banking. Below are some questions I have:

1. I searched US internships for 2025, and IBD internships at BBs have already opened. I was wondering whether this is only for BBs, or other banks/consulting firms too since it is a full year before the internship even starts (for context, UK IBD recruiting starts in July). Additionally, should I even apply despite not being at the university yet?

2. To make the most of my time at Cornell, what clubs do you recommend me to join, where could I find out more information about them, and how could I join as an exchange student?

3. I have heard that networking is crucial in the US, should I start reaching out to students and graduates at Cornell? 

4. To any US exchange student from the UK, what tips could you share for making the most of your time abroad?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read :)