He kept his was through college by getting many different low jobs, but never maintained one for a long period of time. His main focus were his studies and graded, until 1967, when he brought up a relationship which would change his life and the life of many others.
He has met his first girl, who is unnamed, who was beautiful and a highly sophisticated woman from a rich Californian family. Ted was shocked that he could get a woman of such high class. She was Ted's first love and believed to be possibly his first sexual encounter with. But, she was not as interested in Ted and Ted was interested in her. She liked him a lot, but didn't see any long goals coming out of him. Ted tried really hard to impress her, lying very often, which she hated a lot. In 1968 when his girlfriend graduated from the college, she broke everything off with Ted; she realized that Ted has some serious character flaws that took him out of the running as "husband material". Ted has never recovered from the break-up. Nothing interested him anymore that has before, even school. He seemed to be in a depressed state of mind, and tried writing to her all the time trying to get things back together, not able to her out of his mind. This would be and obsession that would span his lifetime and possibly changing his mind towards what he thought about women.
During the breakup, he also learned that his "sister" was actually his mother, and he "parents" were actually his grandparents. Being this long in his life, and finding out so late, this had made a big impact of his life. He did not treat his mother to badly after finding out, but blaming most of it, and became very nasty toward Johnnie Bundy. It is hard to say if this was maybe why he has beginning to blossom his nasty new character. .
He has changed from a shy and introverted person to a more focused and powerful person. He rejoined the University of Washington and studied psychology.