Advice for Incoming College Senior

Hello WSO,This is my first post and I wish it was due to a better situation. I recently started my summer work as an intern at a top investment bank (GS, JPM, MS) and am a part of a 7 person team for a buy side group IB. - 1 MD (Retiring in 1 month) - 2 Executive Directors - 1 VP1 An2 (Moving to another group on floor) - 1 An1 - 1 Intern

When recruiting, I was told I would have opportunities within the group to seek FT employment, as I am entering my final year of undergrad. I wanted to pursue an internship that would allow me to focus on school and my passions (having FT employment secured) due to this year being my last year before entering the corporate realms. Coming from a non-target, securing this role did not come easy which is why I am trying to look into this situation.I have begun having conversations with some of my coworkers and have had the chance to speak have a couple 30min+ conversations after work with one particular executive director who has climbed up the ladder incredibly quickly (think VP ~25) . Personally, I look up to what this person has achieved, they have already provided me with immense wisdom and have said some things that align with the standards I try to hold myself to as well. It would be an honor to get to learn from them as I begin my career.

This being said, It was a great first week, but today we had a conversation about life and etc. he said something that may have been subtle for him, though definitely not for me.Since it is a small team I understand that FT opps are limited, but thought I would at least get a chance to continue working with the same people if I performed well. After explaining to my boss that I am extremely interested in pursuing the group, he had mentioned that it wasn't incredibly ordinary for internship talent to be converted solely due to the small sizing of the team.

After calling some previous interns I found out that none of the group interns from the last few summers stayed with the bank. However, this year the group head is retiring and an analyst are moving so there may be a chance a position opens up. He went on to say how the business still loves to help people lateral and that he wanted to be a resource for whatever I ultimately decide to pursue. In this position I am left questioning how I should approach the rest of the summer.

Should I begin networking with other groups within the bank?

Should I consider applying to other FT opportunities even though I am extremely satisfied with the company I am at now?

Would I establish a poor reputation for trying to pursue within my current group and other groups at the same bank? Am I overreacting?

Are there any intangibles that stick out to managers that interns can provide?

Is it hard to to/move from niche specific buy-side groups?

A lot of FT applications open on July 1st and I am trying to map out how I am going to approach the FT job market. Any insight from people who have been in similar positions or industry experience would be extremely helpful and I thank anyone who is willing to take the time. Apologies if it seems that I am freaking out here, it was a big deal for me to get this internship position and I do not want to have to claw my way back into another BB (which is highly unlikely with my stats)