between 1914 and 1917, pinchback attended six institutions of higher education (the university of wisconsin, the massachusetts college of agriculture, the american college of physical training in chicago, the university of chicago, new york university, and the city college of new york) studying agriculture, fitness, biology, sociology, and history, but he never completed a degree. his wide readings among prominent contemporary poets and writers, and the lectures he attended during his college years, shaped the direction of his writing.