Do most universities fill up their space from people that applied for early acceptance? Leaving people with regular acceptance at highstake?

No. Universities break for the summer. That's when all the academics go to conferences, catch up on their research, write funding proposals, etc., ie.

Do all the 'real work' when they have no students running around. You wouldn't find anyone to teach you during the summer. Or at least no courses which would actually count towards your degree requirements.

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.