Reed College
When it came to choosing a college, Steve opted for Reed College in Oregon. His parents did not like this choice. The tuition was more than they could afford. But Steve had made up his mind. He insisted that if he could not go to Reed, he would not go to college at all. His parents were helpless against his strength of will. In the end, they emptied out their savings so that Steve could have his way.
The main reason Steve selected Reed was because it was known for its oddball students and liberal counterculture atmosphere. According to fellow Reed student Elizabeth Holmes,“ In the early seventies, Reed was a campus of loners and freaks [ eccentrics ].” 20
Even at Reed, Jobs stood out. Robert Friedland, who became Steve’ s friend, recalls:
He was always walking around barefoot. He was one of the freaks on the campus. The thing that struck me was his intensity. Whatever he was interested in he would generally carry to an irrational extreme. He wasn’ t a rapper [ talker ]. One of his numbers was to stare at the person he was talking to. He would stare into their... eyeballs, ask some question and would want a response without the other person averting their eyes. 21
In addition to Friedland, Steve became friends with Dan Kottke, an intellectually gifted young man who was also trying to find himself. But it was Friedland who had a huge impact on Jobs. Friedland was older than Steve and was somewhat of a celebrity on campus. Steve first noticed Friedland because the older boy dressed in long flowing robes.
Friedland was an outgoing person who could charm almost anyone. He was always the center of attention and was an excellent salesman. He was especially good at captivating a crowd and was handily elected the president of Reed’ s student council. He soon became Steve’ s mentor.
Steve was an introvert who had trouble connecting with large
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