<p>I am from one of the schools that Brown buys plane tickets for (underrep minorities at the school). Brown bought me a plane ticket, but I can’t go anymore. I had an emergency come up that I found out about on Wednesday (a few hours after Brown actually purchased the ticket for me). I tried to find other ways to get around it, but…alas, there are none that are feasible/that I can afford. </p>
<p>I talked to the travel agency to see if I could switch up flights, but they said they were no longer buying tickets, and I’d have to pay, which I definitely can’t do.</p>
<p>So, what can I do? I’m okay with not going, but I feel really bad b/c they bought a ticket for me. Will they bill me for the ticket if I don’t show up? Should I tell them? I don’t want to tell even them the specifics of why I can’t go because it is personal…but I just feel terrible. :[ They bought me a ticket, and I’m afraid I’ll get billed for it if I don’t show up…</p>
<p>Advice?</p>
<p>Suck it up. If it is out of your hands, it is out of your hands; they will not bill you for the tickets. Just pick Brown and pretend you went. That’s what they want anyways. But you should tell them and at least explain yourself a little.</p>
<p>Call Brown and tell them what happened. Chances are you won’t have to pay for the ticket, but take responsibility for this. You are practically an adult, and one of life’s lessons is that stuff happens. The mark of your maturity is how you handle it. Don’t weasel out of things which might make you uncomfortable. It sounds as though this is out of your hands, something urgent, and those things unfortunately happen. When people are up front about things, other people almost always are totally understanding. Problems arise when people try to avoid situations, don’t tell the whole story, and make stuff up. Honesty is always (ok, almost always) the best policy. I hope your emergency will resolve itself and things will work out for you. Brown is a wonderful place-- they will understand. Is there any chance you can go visit another time?</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll call Brown on Monday morning. I appreciate the advice, and I do need to face this. I probably won’t be able to visit another time - before May 1st, that is.</p>