Conversation so far:
Where did Thomas Pynchon go to school?
Pynchon attended Oyster Bay High School in Oyster Bay
Was Thomas Pynchon a good student at Cornell University?
he was awarded student of the year“
When did Thomas Pynchon graduate from high school?
1953 at the age of 16
Did Thomas Pynchon go to college?
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell University, but left at the end of his second year to serve in the U.S. Navy.
Did Thomas Pynchon stay in the navy?
In 1957, he returned to Cornell to pursue a degree in English.

Question: What other things was he doing at this time?
Self-contained rewrite: What other things was Thomas Pynchon doing at the time after returning to Cornell University in 1957?