Claire McDonald ’26 has been awarded the Marshall Scholarship, which fully funds postgraduate study in the United Kingdom.

Marshall awardees may pursue two years of study at any U.K. institution. McDonald said she plans to pursue a master’s degree in political science with a specialization in political behavior at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in her first year, followed by a master of laws at University College London (UCL) in her second. This year, she is one of 43 recipients of the prize, which is awarded to graduating American students by the U.K. government.

After learning she was a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship, McDonald went to Boston in November for an interview with former Marshall scholars at the residence of the British Consul General. “It was pretty awesome because there was a Williams alum on the panel and also a Yale Law School professor of constitutional law, which is my specialty,” she said.

McDonald learned she had been selected the day after her interview. “The whole panel gave me a call, which was crazy,” she said.

McDonald said her studies at LSE will expand on her senior thesis work at the College. “I plan to do a master’s … at LSE, kind of doing an extension of my thesis work, but I really want to go into election law, which in the U.S. is a particularly data-driven field, so I want to get that side of it at the London School of Economics,” she said.

At UCL, McDonald plans to learn more about the law. “I want to do the master of laws … in public law or constitutional law,” she said. “I’m getting more of the rhetorical, legal implications.”

McDonald hopes to pursue further legal education after earning the two master’s degrees. “The goal is to attend law school … and then ultimately litigate and work on voting rights reforms, both in the U.S.,” she said.

McDonald said she is appreciative of the Office of Fellowships for their help in her application. “The Williams fellowship office is so supportive,” she said. “I did a bunch of mock interviews with professors or Williamstown community members that they brought in, which I think was integral to being able to have those types of conversations… I also called with a bunch of different Williams alums that were former Rhodes Scholars and Marshall Scholars when I was preparing, which, again, was incredibly helpful to that process.”

McDonald said that students should take advantage of the resources offered by the College. “My biggest recommendation is, if you want to apply, start your application early in the summer, and totally lean into your professors and the resources that you have at Williams,” she said. “I don’t think a lot of other schools go as in-depth, catering to your specific application, the specific fellowships you want to apply to.”

Outside of the classroom, McDonald said she is excited to enjoy the outdoors in the U.K. “I walked onto the crew team here, so I’m excited to row on the Thames, which will be awesome,” she said. “And then I also learned from Sam Thorpe [’22, another Marshall Scholar] … about the Three Peaks challenge, which is in 24 hours, you try to climb the highest mountains in England, Scotland, and Wales… That’s a big thing that the Marshalls love to do.”