Summer Analyst 2021 Recruiting - WTF?

This might sound like a rant type of post, but you decide whether or not it's justified.

I already saw a few discussions here in regards to the 2021 recruiting, which appears to be starting earlier than most students anticipated. I already saw 2-3 companies (mostly BBs) posting both on linkedin and ocr. Today, I came across the RBC's posting on linkedin and it says it was posted a week ago (mind you it's January 2020 and I'm not sure they've even finalized their 2020 recruiting efforts).

Now, is this a trend that will continue with other banks or they just want to start initial screenings earlier, but leave interviews for late summer/fall 2020? Also, it would be beneficial if someone that's in door already can comment on what do they expect to see from sophomores and other premature babies applying from their incubators? It's reasonable to assume that a great deal of applicants are high caliber and overachieving, but there's a limit as to how much you're able to do by the time you're in the sophomore year. Does this mean more lenient requirements or more academically oriented evaluation approach of applicants? Should one postpone applying until eg. April if that might result in a stronger resume? Should you list an incoming internship or similar if you have one for this summer?

Hopefully, someone that's in door or another student with a clearer mind can tackle some of this for the sake of all of us that will be reading this.

Thanks!