She told friends she wanted to get a first-class degree as part of her life's ambition to make a difference as a top scientist, but the human biology undergraduate was left devastated after receiving a 2:2 in her second-year exams which she feared were not good enough.
Ms McDonald after a night out clubbing with friends jumped from her student apartment at the University, a security guard tried to revive her but she died from multiple injuries. After her death, police found a diary which contained a list of Ms MacDonald's likes, dislikes and ambitions. It included the intention to complete a PhD, to find a cure for diabetes and to 'make a difference' in the world.
Her housemate and coursemate Emma Reid, who went out with Ms MacDonald on the night she died, said that she rarely noticed anything troubling her friend. Her father also said that she had never spoke of feeling depressed and that her family tried to encourage her as much as possible:
''She was always a very hard-working girl but she never really got the grades that reflected her studies,' he said. 'She had a very strong interest in science and wanted to make a change in the world. She could not wait to get back to university as she had a good social life and enjoyed seeing her friends. 'As far as we were aware she was very focused on completing her degree and working in science afterwards. We were so proud that she was making new friends and a life and a future for herself at university", he said.
"She has never mentioned to us that she was feeling low or depressed and she has not given any indication to any of her family that she was feeling low or that she wanted to harm herself in any way.' He added that the letters written to the family suggested she had intended to commit suicide. 'In one letter she says she had written the letter 100 times. I don't know if she intended doing this at the start of the night but maybe the reason she got drunk is maybe to go through with it. 'One of the letters said she had been hiding her depression from us", he said.Her house mate revealed that after they partied, they got a taxi back to their block of flats and were laughing and joking until Miss Reid went to bed at 4am. But, shortly afterwards, another flatmate Jasmin Lodge, who was up early to attend a nursing placement, heard movement from Ms MacDonald's room followed by commotion outside the flats. She arrived downstairs at 5.40am to find a security guard giving Ms MacDonald chest compressions while awaiting paramedics.
Source: Daily Mail UK
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