<p>December 15th is a courtesy date – Admissions would like everyone to send-in their application before then, so they can begin to read files. Many students, however, are accepted who send in their applications after December 15th and before January 1st. Providing your application is sent-in by the deadline, it will not have a negative impact on your application.</p>
<p>No, the speech doesn’t need to be addressed in anyway, although your essay should touch upon something in the quote (or the speech) that makes you think about the values you hold, or the way they have changed.</p>