No National Visa Appointments

Hi all, I'm studying abroad in Italy from March to June and need to have a national visa (as I will be there for over 90 days). I am trying to book a visa application appointment for my Consulate, San Francisco, but there are no appointments until March. I read somewhere to check every day when the page updates (midnight in Rome, so 3 PM for me) and check for cancellations, but I'm worried that may not work. I will continue to check that daily, but is it possible to email the Consulate and explain these circumstances? What would you recommend?

And please before you remind me I should have done this earlier, my host university just told me last week that I was officially accepted. Thank you for any advice!