In November 2025, Betty sat at her computer and hit send. After ten years of living on a sailboat, Betty was about to go from homeschooled student to university candidate with plans for medical school.
Then she waited.
Her first acceptance letter came from the University of Toronto (St. George and Scarborough), followed by Queen’s, Brock, York, and and Victoria in British Columbia. This answered a question we had always worried about – could our boat schooling get our kids into university?
In April 2026, Betty was faced with a decision. What university and what city should she choose?
Her choice was important. It would shape her transition from life afloat to her return to land and to Canada. Betty has not seen snow in seven years.
After many hours of research on programs, course, labs and residence options I am happy to report she has made her decision:
Betty Escher
Bachelor of Life Sciences
Class of 2030
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Ever since her six weeks with AidOcean’s medical mission in Papua New Guinea (PNG), she has had her heart set on becoming a doctor.
Queen’s University
At Queen’s, Betty begins the academic journey. Betty now has a student number and an online schedule. She is currently mapping out her entire four-year course plan, factoring in the MCAT exam, which will happen after second year.
Betty will live in residence and has applied to be part of a Science Living Learning Community (LLC). An LLC would allow her to live on the same floor as other students in her program. She has already started to introduce herself to other students in Life Sciences who will graduate with their bachelor’s degree in 2030.
Betty, we are so proud.
I’ll share how she got into Queen’s University, and what boat schooling looked like in a future post. Thanks for reading.
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Becoming a Sailor 