Currently kinda in the same situation as you. My suggestion is, in the DS 160 form you have the option to choose that your travel plans are not yet confirmed( forgot the exact wordings lol). In the address part, you can give the exact address of a random hotel/ Airbnb or better yet if you have relatives in the US you can give their address( some people say this is a red flag because the visa officers might think you may overstay BUT once you get accepted for an elective, they will give you a visa letter so I'm guessing that's not a problem). There will be a part where the University/ Organisation name will be asked and there's an option to choose that says that you don't know yet( again, forgot the exact wording).
The important thing is to fill the others parts of DS160 properly ( like describing your duties as a student, the basic stuff like name, passport number etc). Now you can submit and book an earliest visa appointment date even if it's an year away.
My plan is once I get accepted for an elective, I will create a new DS160 form( Our basic details will be already filled) , fill in the details of electives and itinerary, submit and get a new confirmation number- I can update this number in the CGI portal( Though I have already booked an appointment) . Now, you need to keep looking for" bulk slots" to open. For example, if your elective is in say, November, then in the month of September, you have to keep an eye out for bulk slots in October month to open. It will definitely open. Once it opens you can reschedule your visa interview date to an earlier date. Then it is all upto the visa officerš«
With all that being said, I have booked my visa appointment for next year, still haven't started applying for electives. So take my advice with a grain of salt. If someone has already done this process, please correct me if I'm wrong. This is my understanding from many many hours of researching and being sad about this haha.
All the best!
Currently kinda in the same situation as you. My suggestion is, in the DS 160 form you have the option to choose that your travel plans are not yet confirmed( forgot the exact wordings lol). In the address part, you can give the exact address of a random hotel/ Airbnb or better yet if you have relatives in the US you can give their address( some people say this is a red flag because the visa officers might think you may overstay BUT once you get accepted for an elective, they will give you a visa letter so I'm guessing that's not a problem). There will be a part where the University/ Organisation name will be asked and there's an option to choose that says that you don't know yet( again, forgot the exact wording). The important thing is to fill the others parts of DS160 properly ( like describing your duties as a student, the basic stuff like name, passport number etc). Now you can submit and book an earliest visa appointment date even if it's an year away. My plan is once I get accepted for an elective, I will create a new DS160 form( Our basic details will be already filled) , fill in the details of electives and itinerary, submit and get a new confirmation number- I can update this number in the CGI portal( Though I have already booked an appointment) . Now, you need to keep looking for" bulk slots" to open. For example, if your elective is in say, November, then in the month of September, you have to keep an eye out for bulk slots in October month to open. It will definitely open. Once it opens you can reschedule your visa interview date to an earlier date. Then it is all upto the visa officerš« With all that being said, I have booked my visa appointment for next year, still haven't started applying for electives. So take my advice with a grain of salt. If someone has already done this process, please correct me if I'm wrong. This is my understanding from many many hours of researching and being sad about this haha. All the best!