What would raise my chances of getting into an ivy league, or the equivalent?

Well, you certainly have a strong GPA in community college, so you should apply to many good 4 year universities and take a shot at Ivies too. You probably are well aware of the tough admission standards for Ivy league schools, so its wise to apply to other schools as well. Being a graduate from an Ivy league or a very good university does look nice on your resume and you sure as heck have the academic capabilities to take a good shot at those top universities (and near top universities).

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.