American recommendation letters: “This candidate is the most brilliant person alive. I will never in my entire life have a student as smart as this one again.”
European recommendation letters: “This person completed the requirements for my class. They are currently alive.”
Academic institutions are aware. We used to weigh letters rather differently depending upon origin.
Also, personally I take letters from US universities as elaborate cards with a phone number to call in order to get the proper story. It’s clear why letters are written like that: nobody likes lawsuits.
Tiffany Li
David McMullin
Albert Cardona