According to Jan King, Auburn University Medical Clinic's nursing manager, there is a season where people faking sick come out of the woodwork: Football season.
King said there is also a spike of fakers right before and after spring break.
According to King, people come into the clinic looking for a little vacation extension.
"It happens weekly, for sure," King said. "I bet you anything we have people come in with nothing wrong with them on a daily basis."
Elizabeth, senior in hospital management, said she prefers not to say her last name. She recalls one time she used the clinic for a note.
"I had a 'sinus infection' the day of my first college test," Elizabeth said.
Doctors gave her a prescription she never used.
"Apparently, I had some allergy from moving down South from my hometown," Elizabeth said. "I was, supposedly, 'adjusting to the weather.'"
Anne Sims, senior in journalism, said a simple stomachache did the trick.
"I'm not kidding when I say I did that all the time," Sims said.
King said her favorite story is one about a student who went as far as to forge a note from the clinic.
King said it seemed like a smart idea, but the student dated the excuse Feb. 33.
"Some of these fakers are just really brilliant," King said.
According to King, one of the most common lines of a faker is, "I threw up earlier today, but now I'm fine. Can I get an excuse?"
King said the medical clinic will not issue excuses to people the doctors have not personally examined. Even after an examination, the doctors will not give an excuse to a person who has nothing wrong with them.
Furthermore, the fine print on medical clinic excuses say the instructors do not have to accept them.
"We've had people get really mad at us for not giving them an excuse when that's what they came there for," King sad.
According to King, some people even pay a copay to get an excuse.
"Some people are so desperate that they will call the office and ask, 'What do I have to do to get a medical excuse?'" King said.
One thing King said irritates the staff at the medical clinic is when a student comes in for a hangover.
King said it is never a good idea to use a hangover as an excuse to get a doctor's note, because you will fail every single time.
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