Tiffany LiJul 20, 2023

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.”

Show threadAllan ChowJul 20, 2023
@tiffanycli lol sometimes people have asked me for recommendations and I'm like uh wait. Why?
Show threadTiffany LiJul 20, 2023
@grumpasaurus why not!
Show threadAllan ChowJul 20, 2023
@tiffanycli for some people it's been like alright I mean you weren't bad so I can say that you were reliable...
Show threadSheryl BegbyJul 20, 2023
@grumpasaurus @tiffanycli There's a whole code within PR departments to say the person was crap without saying they were crap.
Example: "She always gave her best when striving to reach the goals we set her" (but still never quite achieved those goals).
Show threadaskiiartJul 25, 2023

@stealthysail
Flouting Grice's maxims, a classic.

Also, the original: "The student's command of English is excellent, and his attendance at tutorials has been regular."
@grumpasaurus @tiffanycli

Show threadSheryl Begby
@askiiart @grumpasaurus @tiffanycli Exactly.
"Her consistent punctuality set an excellent example for other students." [nothing else stood out]
"He always completed his work on time [but it was shoddily done]."
Jul 27, 2023 at 11:19amWeb