Professor perfectly illustrates the difference in American and British academics

LONDON -- Nothing better than a good ol' fashioned "Americans versus Brits" comparison.

Today, we're examining contrast in the world of academia.

Our expert is Jonathan Birch, an assistant professor at the London School of Economics, who graciously highlighted differences in professors via a hilarious Facebook post.

Birch, who specialises in the philosophy of the biological and behavioural sciences, created a helpful guide to academic letters of recommendation to illustrate the distinctions.

The post reads:

"Academic letters of recommendation: a guide for the perplexed.

The American style: 'I have never recommended anyone more highly than this. Jones is, without doubt, the most agile thinker of his generation, and perhaps of any generation in living memory. I would like to say he will revolutionize the field, but such an understatement would do no justice to his true abilities. More likely, he will define an entirely new field, Jones Studies, that will enjoy such prestige that a Nobel Prize in Jones Studies will soon be created, with Jones as its inaugural recipient. Indeed, I would not be surprised to see Jones win three or four Nobel prizes, given his strong side-interests in medicine, physics and peace. While you may be concerned that Jones has no publications, I assure you this is only because Jones’s research, like Darwin’s, is so potent that it would be reckless to release it on the world prematurely.'

The British style: 'Jones is one of my PhD students. For a PhD student, his work is quite good. Indeed, I would even say it compares favourably with the work of some of my other PhD students.'

The meta-American style: 'I know British academics often regard American letters as exaggerated and implausible. Believe me, I am well aware of the different conventions of the two countries. So let me assure you that, had I chosen to write this letter in the British style, it would still have contained all of the same claims. Jones really is that good.'

The meta-British style: 'I realise that you will probably be reading many American-style letters, with respect to which my own may seem rather lukewarm. So let me emphasise that when I say Jones’s work is quite good, I really mean that it is rather good. On balance, it is probably some of the best postgraduate-level work I have read all year.'"

Students, something to think about when selecting your academic references.