I'm a huge fan of Flight of the Conchords - both the show and the comedy duo themselves. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement sing a hilarious tune called "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" whose lyrics include
...Looking 'round the roomI can tell that you
Are the most beautiful girl in the... room
In the whole wide room (ooh)
And when you're on the street
Depending on the street
I bet you are definitely in the top three
Good lookin' girls on the street, yeah
Depending on the street, ooh...
The lyrics proceed from there, consistently qualifying Jemaine's crush's beauty:
...You're so beautiful
Mm, you could be a part-time model
But you'd probably still have to keep your normal job
I thought of this song recently when a wonderful client asked if he should let a residency program know it was one of his top two choices. While very well-meaning, that type of endorsement can fall flat. I would also avoid phrases like "one of my top" picks.
Instead, you can say (or write) something like "I would be thrilled to be at your institution," or " I’m confident I can make a positive contribution." In other words, you can stay honest while not shooting yourself in the foot.
Here's the "Most Beautiful Girl" video. It's hilarious.
