In his sophomore (Reading and Writing) or freshman (Science Research and Entrepreneur) year, an interested student submits an application and is interviewed. If he is selected as an Anderson Scholar candidate, he will pursue an individualized program for the remainder of his high school years. The Anderson Scholars program is designed to give additional context and substance to University School curricular requirements.

University School's Davey Fellowship Program offers a variety of independent study opportunities to a talented group of creative writers. Whether a boy is interested in writing short stories, plays, poems, novels, song lyrics, or essays, he may pursue his particular interest under the advisement of a faculty member with a special expertise in that area. Rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors, who are not pursuing a Strnad Fellowship, are invited to submit requests to be considered for a Davey Fellowship in the spring of each year. 

Thanks to an endowment in the name of Hugh Davey '64, Davey Fellows undertake extensive projects in writing fiction, drama, or poetry. In the past, students have written novels, screen plays, sonnets, and dramas. Students read from their works in school-wide assemblies. In addition, the program frequently invites poets, novelists, playwrights, and journalists to speak in assembly and to students, sometimes on an individual basis.