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.”
It wasn't a university recommendation, but we had a guy who was due to retire from the military in six months. He was such a terrible employee that having him in the office was counterproductive, so our boss just sent him home on garden leave. That guy actually used that boss as a recommendation later! Jerry was not amused.
Tiffany Li
Allan Chow
HLGEM