The way I heard the story told, this phrase was coined (or at least first applied to college students) by the women of Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech, "where the girls aren't", is notorious for its high male to female ratio. In that way, girls who attend Tech are (supposedly) overrun with admirers, so "the odds are good". However, many of these admirers have never before had a conversation with a woman, so "the goods are odd".

Catchy, isn't it?

This usage has since spread to many other universities with similar populations. I've heard it at Carnegie Mellon, Caltech, and MIT, to name a few.

Keep in mind, I'm not necessarily agreeing. I happen to think that geeks make great boyfriends.

This phrase has indeed spread to other technical universities. I currently attend Illinois Tech and my brother goes to Michigan Tech. It was once purported that Michigan Tech had a twelve to one guy to girl ratio (probably when my aunt attended back in the eighties or so). I have been unable to get a straight answer out of my brother, however.

Last year at Illinois Tech the ratio was six to one. I believe it is about five or four to one this year. It really sucks because I am a dude. But then again, colleges should not be chosen based on the ratio of the student body's sex.

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