Questions about 1L internship and direct apply Forum

[anniekim216]

Hello - I am in kind of a unique position and seeking advice. I am working at a big law firm this summer, but it is not a summer associate position. It is a 1L legal internship, which I got through connections. I currently have a GPA of 3.8+ at a T30 ish law school, but recently got accepted to transfer to a T-15 law school and still waiting for couple more transfer acceptances.

My situation is the following:
1. My internship starts mid June, which is late, but I had no choice because I was dealing with some issues back home that needed me to be there (I live in another country), and the firm gave me flexibility in the start date.
2. This means my internship will be shorter than others by a couple weeks.
3. I am thinking of directly applying to firms before actual OCI.
4. This position is not one that automatically means I will get an offer back.

Below are my concerns:
1. I am wondering how much of an issue this will be when I am directly applying. I am thinking of apply right after second semester grades come out, but I am scared that I may get an interview request when I haven't started my internship or I am only a couple days/weeks into it. How do people go about talking about their current position when they haven't experienced a whole lot at the position?

2. I am also wondering how much of an issue it will be that my internship is relatively shorter. The internship will still span from June to August, but the number of weeks are shorter.

3. I am wondering how to explain my position if firms ever ask me if I got an offer back. If I don't - not because of my own wrongdoings but just because of the nature of my position - how do I explain this?

4. What is the timeline of directly applying to firms? How long does it take after you submit your application to the firm for them to get back to you and set up interviews?

Thank you!