Carrer Advice for transitioning student

First of all, thank you for reading my post and taking the time to provide any feedback. Your time is greatly appreciated.

Hello, I am a recent graduate from a T20 university (semi-target), where I majored in Natural Sciences and earned a GPA of approximately 3.7. I originally planned to apply to medical school but eventually realized that my passion didn’t align with a career in medicine. After that realization, I felt confused and unfortunately spent much of my undergraduate time without clear direction, ultimately graduating without any internships. (However, I do have experience in lab work, on-campus tutoring, and hospital settings)

Feeling lost, I decided to intern at a startup for three months, followed by a consulting internship. I found a lot of joy and fulfillment in working on consulting projects and opened my eyes in different career pathways. After heavy research, I grew interest in Consulting, IBD, ER in a descending order. I believe my alma mater is a target for MBB~T2 regional office, semi-target for some MM/EB firms in NYC, and certainly a target for regional banks.

I would love to work in:

1. Consulting
2. Investment Banking (IBD) or Equity Research (ER)

However, I have a few questions regarding the best route forward from my current position:

Q1. I've been exploring Master’s in Finance (MsF) programs and am considering applying, as I don’t have a formal background in finance or business aside from one consulting internship. I've heard that without prior experience, breaking into IB is nearly impossible — but is there a chance to make it through strong alumni networking or other strategies?

Q2. Would attending an MsF program at my alma mater (and applying to regional offices) be a better move, or would applying to a top-ranked MsF/MsFE program—regardless of where I did my undergrad—be the smarter choice?

Q3. If I enroll in a Master’s program that ends around May or August 2027, would I be eligible for summer internships in 2026 or 2027? I’m hoping that by regaining student status, I can become eligible to apply for internships again.