New to HF - Unrealistic Expectations?

Apologies in advance if this post is seen as dumb, just now getting into this side of the forum.

For reference, I'm a 1st year IB analyst at a BB, with a summer 2027 PE offer at a relatively new, but imo decently respected MM shop. With that said, my 8-9 or so months on the desk have made me very interested in public investing and I think it's something I want to pursue after 1-2 years in PE.

1. How do I start prepping? Is it just buying a HF course (like PF, I used this for PE) and diving into companies, developing my take on them?
2. How do I learn about the different HF strategies and which I would enjoy most? Also maybe stupid, but how similar is the show Industry to actual HF roles? 
3. What does WLB look like compared to IB, PE, etc.
4. Are there any seats (if so, how many, is it super small, etc) in the Midwest or are they all in NYC, SF?

Any and all advice is much appreciated.