At Princeton, Fitzgerald's writing pursuits came at the expense of his studies, causing him to be placed on academic probation. In 1917, Fitzgerald pivoted, dropping out of Princeton to join the Army. During that winter, he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, under the command of future United States President and General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower, whom he intensely disliked. Worried that he could die in the War without ever publishing anything, Fitzgerald hastily wrote "The Romantic Egotist" in the weeks before reporting for duty—and, although Scribners rejected it, the reviewer praised Fitzgerald's writing and encouraged him to resubmit the novel after further revisions. Fitzgerald would later regret not serving in combat, as detailed in his short story "I Didn’t Get Over" (1936).