hi dynamite - actually, i didn't get an interview at UCSD, they put me on hold for one, which I heard basically means that you wait until May until they tell you that you didn't get an interview. They sent me an email probably 2 weeks after I mailed in my secondary. Did you get a secondary from UCSD? If you haven't you should call them and see if you have been given one. I called them, and two days later got an email with their secondary attached. Some other people have posted having the same experience.
Anyways, I have heard various things about whether appeals work. I have heard many stories that at UCLA there is one person who sorts through the primaries to determine whether you get a secondary. People who have interviewed there after they appealed and got a secondary have said that their interviewers wondered why they originally didn't get a secondary. So, I don't think it hurts. When I appealed to UCSF, I wrote the dean a letter basically asking him to review my application, telling him a little more about my life experience, and reiterating that I felt I couldn't be fairly reviewed without them having my recommendation letters and essays. I also had this spiel about how I am much more than numbers. If you do decide to appeal, just be honest, don't be pushy. Really, you are just trying to fight on your behalf that you get fairly evaluated and considered. That's all you can ask for in this process. I'm pretty sure that no matter what you write in your appeal, they will take another look at your application to make sure they didn't make a mistake. Someone posted that they heard Davis wasn't taking appeals this year because the cycle is so messed up, so please keep us posted as to what happens. Good luck!
