Breaking into hedge funds from data science - Columbia '21 admit/ non U.S. citizen

Hi everyone,

First time poster. I was recently admitted the two year full time MBA program at Columbia Business School, class of 2021.

I'm hoping to land a job at a hedge fund post my MBA - keeping my mind open but tilting towards L/S. My primary experience is in analytics consulting, i.e., a mix of data science and consulting. In my pre-MBA role, I have, for the past five months, been working as a data scientist in a U.S. asset management firm with ~700B in AUM to get my foot in the buy-side door.

As I'll be on an F1 visa, I won't be allowed to take paid work for the first two semesters. I'm willing to bust my ass networking with everyone, which is why I chose Columbia, so I'm wondering:

1. If I could take up an unpaid role with a fund during the semester, in which case, how likely is it to turn into a full time offer?
2. How likely are hedge funds to sponsor an H1B visa ?

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. Apologies if I haven't complied with any rules of posting.

Thanks.