Edgar Allan Poe’s college years were chaotic and tough. At first, he went to the University of Virginia. He dropped out due to financial problems, because he couldn’t pay his debts which came from gambling. Also, his foster father, John Allan, refused to pay off those debts. He joined the Army because he couldn’t support himself, and that was his only option. Later, he attended West Point, where he decided literature was his passion and he didn’t want to be there any more. John Allan refused to let him resign, so Poe purposely got court martialed to get kicked out of West Point.