If square roots aren’t your thing, then at least Professor Corey Manchester’s boyish god looks will give you something to study in math class.  San Diego State students voted their favorite math teacher into the Rate My Professor’s “Top 50 Hottest Professors” list.  We fought off his starstruck admirers long enough to get in a little Q and A with mathematician.

My Colleges and Careers: What was your initial reaction to being ranked as one of the nation’s hottest professors?

Professor Manchester: I was really flattered, but I just don’t get it!

My Colleges and Careers:  How familiar were you with ratemyprofessor.com?

Professor Manchester: Very. I know it’s the primary resource for students picking classes. I know alot of professors hate it, but I think it’s good that they’re being held accountable for being less than stellar at their jobs.

My Colleges and Careers: Do you think this sort of category is frivolous and silly or fun and interesting?

Professor Manchester: I guess a little of both. I also won “Favorite Faculty Member of the Year” this year, and that means far more to me than anything based on physicality.

My Colleges and Careers: Has anyone ever told you that you resemble a celebrity? If so, who?

Professor Manchester: Hmmm..not that I recall. At least not in adulthood–when I was little, people always told me I looked like Ricky Schroeder (blonde and freckly).

My Colleges and Careers: What do you love about being a professor?

Professor Manchester: Oh gosh…so many things. I love being able to explain a difficult concept to a group of people who probably aren’t huge fans of the subject. I love being able to show them that everything in their lives in based on math. I love making them think about math in a totally different way. I love giving them an appropriately nurturing environment for math (rather than a sink-or-swin approach like many professors deliver).

My Colleges and Careers: Are you going to leverage this title for a salary increase?

Professor Manchester: Yah right. I’ll be lucky to not be laid off, given the state of the California budget!

The average teaching evaluation was 4.2 on a 5-point scale. Those at the bottom end of the attractiveness scale received, on average, a teaching evaluation of about 3.5, while those on the top end received about 4.5.

Who are we to argue with the New York Times? No one. That is exactly why My Colleges and Careers is giving an unapologetic endorsement to the site’s entertaining list of Rate My Professor’s Top 50 Hottest Professors. We were lucky enough to talk to Professor Sexy himself: Hugo Schwyzer. Schwyzer teaches history at Pasadena City College. Here is our Q and A.

My Colleges and Careers: What is your initial reaction to winning this award?

Professor Schwyzer: Embarrassment and disbelief.

My Colleges and Careers: How familiar were you with ratemyprofessor.com?

Professor Schwyzer: Very.  I started hearing about it in 2004 and 05, and was initially excited by its possibilities.  Now, I’m a bit cynical, as it appears anyone can rate you multiple times.

My Colleges and Careers: Do you think this sort of category is frivolous and silly or fun and interesting?

Professor Schwyzer: Well, yes and no.  I think hotness is less about physical attractiveness and more about passion.  I’d like to think that this award reflects the way I teach more than the way I dress or look.

My Colleges and Careers: Has anyone ever told you that you resemble a celebrity? If so, who?

Professor Schwyzer: Occasionally I get Guy Pearse (LA Confidential.)

My Colleges and Careers: What do you love about being a professor?

Professor Schwyzer: I love teaching and connecting with students.  I walk out of the classroom unsure whether I’ve just been working or playing — I would do this stuff for free, and I’ve been at it for sixteen happy years.

Professor Schwyzer: Oh, I’d get teased even more than I already do.