I got accepted to join Mensa, so I'm collecting opinions about the organization to improve my understanding.

What is the public's general impression of the organization? Elitists, friends, nerds, haven; wasting time playing games, making a difference; etc.

Do you care if you may qualify? If you do qualify, would you join? Why or why not?

For any members:
What impact has Mensa had on you?

Do you feel that you fit in with other members you've met?

What distinct outcomes resulted from your membership? ie: met someone, inspired career change, landed a job, etc.


As I see it, most everyone on this BBS presents themselves as intelligent, well spoken, knowledgeable and confident, well deserving of Mensa membership. Is there a disconnect between your sheer level of ability and a Mensa member's level of intelligence?

Thanks all.

Frankly, I'm completely unaware of any impact they might have had on my life. I'm aware of who they are, but not certain exactly what they do.

I guess I don't have an impression of the group. The only image I can conjure up is this:

C:\DOS
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RUN\DOS\RUN

I knew someone at school who joined, but I'm not sure he ever got any real benefit from it. If you're stuck in the boondocks, or stuck in underemployment, I can see that it could be a Good Thing -- but the joining criterion is the top 2% of the population, which is actually quite a lot of people. If you go to a good university or get a good white-collar job, you're mixing with all of those people already.

One area where they could make a difference, but I don't know whether they try to, is in the education of bright children. A lot of schools, or a lot of teachers, aren't really geared up to deal with the top end -- though again that might not be apparent at the 2% level, as there'd be a bunch of 2% kids in every single school year.

Peter

I did join when I was living back in Finland, but let my membership lapse when I moved here 12 years ago. Didn't rejoin the Dutch chapter. Didn't get much out of it - you quickly realize that scoring relatively high on a "standard" IQ test doesn't actually give you that much common ground with others who also do.

I think the general public views them with envy/elitism, but then the general public does that with a lot of stuff.

It's potentially a decent social club, providing yet another venue where there's a 2% chance of meeting that special someone.

Or if you're stuck in a blue-collar job, or a massive dumb corporation, then it can give you a chance to associate with others who are every bit as clever as you. Intellectual stimulation and all of that. Sounds bad on paper, but it could be rewarding in real life.

I never joined up, but I do associate with a particular ring of friends (aside from this BBS) where many of the participants would probably score high enough to qualify.

Cheers

Believe it, or not, when I joined in London in the 60's, it was a result of a promotion in pipe tobacco tins: Presumably somebody thought that smoking a pipe was a criteria for the top 2% of the population. Maybe I could disguise my senility by claiming that the quotient has gone down year on year since I gave up smoking!

Mensa? Pfft. Mensans are dumbasses.

All the benefits I could imagine gaining from joining Mensa, I already get right here on the BBS: Knowledge transfer with other bright and interesting people.

If they charge dues, I can see a good reason NOT to join. I'd venture to say that 99% of the readers here would most likely qualify.

Mmm.. I doubt that. But quite a few, definitely. I love sitting on the sidelines and watching the fury of discussions they lead!

Cheers

I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member.

Thanks, Groucho.

"Top 2%" is misleading. Any sane person can ace their test with a little focus and determination. Intelligence is all about what you focus on. "Dumb" people simply focus on "dumb things". If you place your concentration on passing a mensa test, you will pass, and you will pay their membership dues.

Doesn't scientology give potential members IQ tests

Apparently only 2% of people are sane.

Or 98% of people are sane!

Well, first off, if you have at least 10¢ in your bank account, you're a potential Scientology recruit.

But while the so-called "Oxford Capacity Analysis" personality test is more well-known, there is also the "Novis Fast Marking [IQ] Test". Unlike the OCA, it would seem to be not very leading. They are usually given to recruitees at the same time.

Hmmm... While growing up, I never scored less than 99th percentile on ANY standardized test. If it's purely based on IQ, I'm still in the top 1%. I haven't felt the need to test myself since college, but I would venture to guess the results would be about the same. That being said, I would consider most here smarter than me. Granted, knowledge does not equal intelligence, but still...

I joined just to get a higher score than my brother - and the magazine is interesting. Lots of weirdos join Mensa!