Up Close and Personal with Rate My Professor’s Hottest: Hugo Schwyzer

This post is for all the My Colleges and Careers female fans out there. Do attractive male professors make better professors? According to RateMyProfessor and the New York Times, teachers who are considered “good-looking” tend to get better student evaluations. Economists have found that men with above-average looks are paid about 5 percent more than those with average appearance. A recent study concluded:

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.