Is Lateraling for FT28 Worth It? How to Start?

I'm a rising junior at a top target school w/ SA27 at Citi IB in NYC (presumably M&A group). I'm really pleased with this recruiting outcome but am dissappointed that I failed at my MF PE, EB, and GS/MS/JPM summer analyst interviews and am debating if whether it's worth it to attempt to lateral full-time in 2028.

My ultimate goal is PE, and I'm happy to endure a two year IB analyst program at a bank like Citi or better and then exit to PE or also to join an UMM / MF (not the random mom and pop shop) PE firm that has strong analyst -> associate mobility (e.g., Warburg, Vista). I'm less concerned about the merits of recruiting for PE straight out of college and more about my ability to find a superior FT job than Citi, whether in PE or IB. A few questions:

1. How does the FT recruitng process work, and what is the timeline for 2028? Is it one-off applications, random networking, or more structured processes? How does this differ between firms (e.g., I've heard Qatalyst and Warburg are more structured)? Any advice for the process?
2. How meaningful is the difference between Citi M&A and the banks I could realistically lateral to for PE recruiting? Would moving to an EB / GS / MS materially expand my attainable PE opportunities or mostly improve my odds at the margin?
3. How much does analyst performance and deal experience matter relative to bank/group pedigree for MF / UMM recruiting? Is being a top-performing analyst at Citi M&A generally better than being middle-of-the-pack at a marginally stronger platform?
4. What FT opportunities would actually constitute a meaningful enough upgrade from Citi M&A to justify recruiting again?
5. Should I shut up and not let great be the enemy of good and just enjoy the next two years of college?

Thanks for your help!