Meet The Girl Who Got Into College Because Of Her Love For Scooby!

As Scooby fans, I think we can all agree that Scooby has affected our lives in some way or another, whether its your childhood, your identity, or maybe even your career path. In my opinion, part of being a Scooby fan is realizing the impact which watching and appreciating Scooby-Doo has on your life.

​For Tore, the impact that Scooby has had on her life started when she was little. In fact, her first memory of watching a television program is watching reruns of Scooby-Doo after school with her mom. "What always appealed to me was the aspect of being scared of the monsters, but finding comfort in Scooby Doo and the gang solving the mystery!" Tore reflects. "I was very vocal about my love of Scooby and it became part of my identity growing up. I guess that's why in high school it was a no brainer to discuss Scooby, because everyone already knew that was just 'my thing'."

​Throughout high school, Tore continued expressing herself through her love of Scooby. For various high school projects, Tore used her passion for Scooby-Doo to succeed by centering many of her assignments around Scooby, including several essays and even an informative speech on Scooby's family tree!

​As college drew closer, Tore began taking college prep courses to help get her ready for various college exams and the college entrance essay prompts. "I remember in high school during our college prep courses, they told us the most common prompt was who inspired us/who was our biggest influence, and they told us to think outside the box (don't give the typical parent, grandparent, teacher answer). I had already written some other things about Scooby Doo to cure my boredom for other classes, so I decided I might as well write about the impact of Scooby Doo on my life for that assignment too." So Tore decided to take a chance and write her entrance essay, which would determine whether she got into college or not, on our favorite cartoon dog, Scooby-Doo. Because of her essay, which looked at Scooby in a very mature and insightful manner, Tore was accepted to The University of Texas, St. Edward's University and Angelo State University.

​This is the essay which got her accepted into college:

When I think about attending college, the wise words of the most influential person of my life comes to mind: “Ruh-Roh!” Yes, you’re reading that right. The most influential person who shaped the woman I am today is not in fact a person at all, but a beloved fictional dog known all around the world as Scooby Doo. While unconventional, Scooby Doo taught me multiple life lessons including perseverance, the value of friendship, and integrity.

How did a cowardly dog teach a young girl perseverance? Almost anyone who has watched the multiple shows Scooby Doo has starred in knows that Scooby has a hard time facing all those ghosts and ghouls. With all of life’s challenges comes fear; the fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, and the fear of stepping out of one’s comfort zone. These fears are especially evident when it comes to starting a new chapter in my life by attending college. However, what I learned from watching Scooby Doo was that although he was definitely afraid to face the many monsters, Scooby persevered. With a Scooby snack and some encouragement from friends, Scooby Doo was often crucial in capturing the creepers, and finding out that those ghosts weren’t ever as scary as they seemed.
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What would Scooby Doo do without his friends? As mentioned before, the support of the fellow members of Mystery Inc. often provided Scooby with the courage to solve the mystery and nab the bad guys. While attending college, I know that it is important to rely on my support system to help me face my fears as well. Being a good friend was essential to the success of Mystery Inc., and I look forward to finding new lifelong friends to help me achieve great things at school, and beyond.

Most importantly, Scooby showed me the significance of integrity. At his core, Scooby Doo is a dog on a mission to do the right thing. Scooby Doo and his gang took it upon themselves to investigate and solve mysteries, but in actuality, many of these mysteries hinged upon helping others solely because it was the right thing to do. The Mystery Inc. didn’t receive cash rewards for their many solved cases, but instead their own integrity pushed them to continually take on the scariest of situations. Scooby faced his fears almost every day to lock away the men in the masks often because nobody else in Coolsville would, or could. I know while in college I will have to face many situations that could question my integrity, but thankfully I found a role model in Scooby Doo who taught me that I must always do what is right.

To some, Scooby Doo is a just a character in an old kids' show. We all love Scooby Doo, but no one gives him a second thought once they grow up. This isn’t the case for me. I will never forget how Scooby taught me to face my fears, along with a group of great supporting people behind me, because it is the right thing to do. I will continue to keep the essence of Scooby Doo alive as I start this new chapter in my life. My only question is: Are Scooby Snacks on the meal plan?

After being accepted into all three colleges, Tore originally decided to go to St. Edward's University, and later transfered to Texas University and eventually Angelo State. And in all three colleges, she succeeded, with the help of her passion for Scooby, of course! In fact, today, Tore still uses various things which she learned from her love for everyone's favorite cartoon dog in her daily life and job in a museum, which is ironically rumored to be haunted. "Working in the museum I feel like I'm part of the gang! Every item in our collection has its own history and mystery to solve. And also, we recently had paranormal investigators come to see if it's really haunted or not, so that was definitely spooky! You would think What a Night for a Knight would've inspired my career more, but I still mainly attribute it to Which Witch is Which and To Switch a Witch from The Scooby Doo Show! I also accredit my obsession with Scooby Doo as to why I loved learning about witches as a kid (the first episode I ever saw was Which Witch is Which) and my love of horror movies today."

​Even if the impact Scooby has had on your life isn't as large as the impact it has had on Tore's life, it just goes to show how much Scooby can really have an impact on people's lives. "I honestly can't imagine how I would view the world if I wasn't exposed to Scooby Doo at such a young age. It's crazy when you get older and realize how much loving Scooby Doo actually impacts how you view the world, people, friendships, and the scary monsters we face on a day to day basis!"