IB in the US coming from France

Good evening gentlemen/ladies,

I am a French student currently thinking about moving to the US once my degree is finished as I may be getting a green card very soon.
I am thus seeking your help in order to make the right choices to be an "employable" candidate for BBs and brand-name boutiques!

Here is a quick overview of my background:

I'm getting a Master in Management at a french B-School (this is the norm here, Bachelors degree don't usually open the doors to Investment Banking). My school is BB target in Europe and the UK but unknown in the US.
I am taking a gap year before my final year, in September I will be starting a 6 months gig at a small M&A boutique in Paris and should be able to leverage it to get a 6 months Off-Cycle or a Summer (+ 4 months of something financy) at a BB or elite boutique in London or Paris.

So my questions are the following:

Is GPA important in the US, and if so, out of my 5 (2 years of prep school + 3 years of B-School) years of studies how many will I be asked to be at 2.1 or First?

Will 6 months or a Summer at a BB/elite boutique be enough to be considered by NY firms or do I need to get a degree from a school that is target/well-known in the US?

If experience is not enough, I can do my final year at a bunch of other schools that might be more well-known in the US. Do I have to do an exchange year giving me a double degree, or is a normal exchange year enough? If getting the degree is not important, I have the option to do only one semester and do a 6 months internship instead of the other. Is that a viable option?

And if I choose this option, knowing that I will be finishing school with a Master's degree and 1.5 years of experience do I apply as an Analyst or an Associate? I've basically had all classes you get during an MBA, and many of our exchange programs are with MBA programs of other schools.

Thanking you in advance for your advice!