Sexy men? Find them at Maine’s liberal arts schools

Now higher-education seekers have another way to judge the attractiveness of a college or university. It’s called the hotness factor.

More women than men are already enrolling in college, but this could be the next big-muscled way to encourage even more applicants. If so, more women might now be turning their eyes to Maine.

That’s because Colby College in Waterville was recently rated seventh in terms of its attractive men, out of more than 200 colleges and universities across the country, according to the online publication Her Campus.

“If you’re looking for the preppy, outdoorsy type, Colby College is the place for you. The guys at Colby love any sort of outdoor activity (just look at their abs!) whether it’s hiking, skiing, or water sports,” the piece reads. “But, ladies, if you spot one of these well-sculpted hunks, be sure to stake your claim pronto. According to an anonymous rising junior, ‘The good ones get snatched up fast because it’s such a small school.’”

If only, Colby women might say, they attended school at a time of year when the guys could actually take their shirts off and not freeze to death.

Believe it or not, the process to find the most attractive schools required an intensive workout. First, employees at Her Campus solicited opinions from 3,000 enrolled college students at 200 colleges and universities across the country, according to spokesman Jake Duhaime. They do their own research and narrow down the best 25 or so. Then the editors pick the top 10, with an eye toward maintaining a variety of schools.

Started by three Harvard women in 2009, the website is geared toward providing, shall we say, a real-life view of college. This is the first time it ranked schools by their male students’ hunkiness, and the piece was picked up by Glamour Magazine.

“We wanted to do something more day-to-day,” Duhaime said. “Certainly the schools love bragging about it.”

Colby will still have to fight out the honor with Bowdoin College in Brunswick, though, which was ranked by College Magazine.com in April as the ninth top college in the nation for its tempting guys.

“It’s filled with preppy New England men from private boarding schools, so you’re in luck if you like the blue-blood, Sperry-wearing, yacht-sailing type,” the ranking for Bowdoin reads.

Bates College in Lewiston will have to take consolation from its “hottest for no SAT or ACT needed” listing in 2007 from Newsweek Magazine.

And for those of you who don’t condone gauging a school based on the attractiveness of its male students, it could be worse. Last year Her Campus ranked the most sexually friendly college campuses — “Where everything goes and nothing stays on.” No Maine school was listed; the top honor went to the University of Texas at Austin.

In all seriousness, the ranking results probably won’t draw students seeking … stimulating types of study. But, in addition to publicity, they are good for a laugh. A charming one, of course.