Has anyone here gotten their top choice on-cycle and have tips for making that happen?

I did on-cycle this past summer, and signed with my top choice. Luck is a huge factor, but a few words of advice for you:

• Communicate very clearly and explicitly to the HH's that this UMM is your top choice, and that you have contacts in the group who you've networked with already
• Once "interviews" (coffee chats, intro Zoom calls, etc.) begin and firms / HH's begin reaching out to you to schedule times, schedule your meetings as early as possible
• HH's will ask what type of firm you're interested in - have a a few names from each HH's client list that are similar to your top choice just so your story is consistent and easily digestible

Luck again is a huge part of the process and HH's will match opportunities with candidates in a way that maximizes their chance of getting a placement fee. There's only so much you can do. Good luck, and enjoy the process as much as you can!