Recruiting Dilemna

Hi WSO,

Currently a junior at a target uni and do have prior finance experience (accounting, corp fin, and equity research). Currently have an equity research offer in Asia at a well-known brand shop, but I want to try to recruit again for IB. I had 6-7 interviews for IB this past recruiting cycle (Lazard, GS, UBS, HL, MS, FT Partners, etc.) but was unable to close and obtain an offer. I did a bit of self-reflecting and found that I struggled in some interviews slightly on behavioral questions, so I wanted to try to become more well-rounded through different activities (e.g. volunteering, more traveling, etc.) and not merely come across as someone very focused just on business/finance (internship exp., club exp., etc.).

I am also young for my age (should be a college sophomore rn but skipped 1 grade), as I am thinking about taking 2 quarters off of school to try and re-recruit again as a junior. I would be taking off from January 2019 until June 2019. I would then complete this Asia ER Internship over the summer, finishing by August 2019. During this time off, I am focusing on completing volunteer experience abroad, having more travel experiences to highlight as well in potential interviews/conversations/etc., concurrently completing interview prep, and finally networking and re-recruiting.

My question to WSO is that when should I begin sending out networking emails to bankers in order to get on their lists, as banks have already had info sessions at several schools? What additional steps can I also take to help me utilize this strategy effectively to hopefully obtain an IB SA 2020 position?