Is it too late to go back to school and pursue a different career?

[physicscrap]

Just wondering... if
Anyone here in MENSA?

 

[Evo]

No, I was warned against the politics many, many years ago by a couple of friends that worked at NASA that quit MENSA, besides seeing no point to the organization, they both said most members were not exceptionally bright but were exceedingly obnoxious. I guess how bad or good the people you meet vary, but I've heard almost all negatives about the attitudes. Do these people actually do anything constructive?

 

[JasonRox]

No, I was warned against the politics many, many years ago by a couple of friends that worked at NASA that quit MENSA, besides seeing no point to the organization, they both said most members were not exceptionally bright but were exceedingly obnoxious. I guess how bad or good the people you meet vary, but I've heard almost all negatives about the attitudes. Do these people actually do anything constructive?

You were warned against it, but do you qualify?

I'm not a member of Mensa and nor do I know if I quality. I would my IQ is higher than average but probably not quite that high.

 

[berkeman]

I was a member back in high school, but didn't get much out of it and didn't keep up my membership.

 

[Evo]

You were warned against it, but do you qualify?

Yes, I do qualify, I was professionally tested at the request of a school teacher, so I have valid test scores, which Mensa will accept.

 

[Kurdt]

My mother was a member but didn't keep it up because she didn't get much out of it.

 

[Chi Meson]

I was a member several years ago. They had decent forum, but you had to be a member of compuserve to get to it (early 90s, before net browsers became the norm). Their magazine was dreadful, and their mailserve discussions were dominated by the most obnoxious more-mensa-than-you jerks I can imagine.

Evidently, it's a good organization if you like regular Scrabble competitions. I was not impressed.

 

[hypatia]

I am a MENSA drop out. I just couldn't stand being around people, who were so full of their own egos. Everyone talking over each other, trying to tell you how smart they are.

 

[Astronuc]

I kept getting invited to join, but decided not too for the reasons stated by Evo, berkeman, Chi Meson and hypatia.

And believe me, Evo is certainly overqualified to be in Mensa, but I am pleased she didn't/wouldn't lower her standards.

I wish that I had had a forum like PF in which to participate, but that was back before the internet.

 

[Quadruple Bypass]

I was told MENSA was borderline NWO.

 

[animalcroc]

I don't see why anyone would join that kind of group in the first place.

 

[Chi Meson]

I don't see why anyone would join that kind of group in the first place.

Neither do I. Wish I had someone to wave me away back then. But, no great loss. Was only $30 or so.

 

[Astronuc]

Neither do I. Wish I had someone to wave me away back then. But, no great loss. Was only $30 or so.

PF is a much better investment!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I just went over to their website and took their sample test. It seemed rather easy to me for this sort of thing, what's next in the sequence, what item in the list is different from the others, etc. I spent 5 minutes on it when they gave me 30 and I got 21 right out of 30, not exactly Mensa quality, you would think. But the response I got was that if I took the real test, I would probably pass it. This leaves me with the impression that to Mensa, everyone with $30 is smart.

 

[Astronuc]

This leaves me with the impression that to Mensa, everyone with $30 is smart.

You're catching on! You may be Mensa material afterall.

 

[Doc Al]

Just for a laugh I joined many decades ago, thinking it would be a good place to meet girls. (Yeah, I guess I wasn't that smart.) I went to one of their testing centers in NYC, where they give you two IQ tests. One was so ancient (diagrams from the 1950s, I think) and so fuzzily printed that I couldn't even recognize some of the objects in the visual analogies portion. (Oh... that ball was supposed to be the moon!)

I recall that one of the tests was a joke, really easy if you know a bit of algebra. (If you didn't know algebra or basic math, you'd really have to be sharp to pass.) The other test was very strange, filled with odd verbal analogies like: VERY is to WAS as APPLE is to ? Somehow, I got the same score on both.

I went to a few meetings. Seems that the major topic of conservation was just how smart everyone was, and whether you qualified for an even smarter, more exclusive subgroup. A snorefest. I even went to a Mensa convention, where I was shocked at the number of members who apparently believed in nonsense such as astrology and ESP.

I didn't last long. My experience may not be typical, as NYC has a lot of nutballs.

 

[Lacy33]

was a member. the whole family was in and they were very devoted to the circle of friends that were members in my growing up years. they were engineers, mathematicians and scientists. they were a fun crowd. not stuck on themselves at all. drunks perhaps, but not arrogant. didn't see anything wrong with it until I got older and found that the old mensa crowd had changed to a younger bunch of people stuck on themselves indeed.
It still meant a lot to me because my mother still believed the people were the same. just not the case. perhaps she will never find out.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I decided to go to Mensa headquarters and find out the real skinny on this group. When I got the the door, they said I couldn't get in unless I got a puzzle right. They asked me "What's the next name in the sequence:"
Bush, Clinton, Bush, ...
I answered Clinton and slid right in. A fellow there motioned for me to sit down next to him. He asked me my name and when I told him, he said "That's right, you get 5 points". When I asked his name he posed me the following: What's found on a duck, a goose, and a platypus. I said Bill, and he said that's right, "Bill Webb". I asked him what his IQ was and he said: What's the next number in the sequence:

129, 130, 131, 132, ...
I said 133? and he said right. Then he asked me my IQ. I said $30 and left.

Here is my take on this. If you laid all the Mensa members end to end, you would never finish because there's another one born every minute.

 

[Astronuc]

I decided to go to Mensa headquarters and find out the real skinny on this group. When I got the the door, they said I couldn't get in unless I got a puzzle right. They asked me "What's the next name in the sequence:"
Bush, Clinton, Bush, ...
I answered Clinton and slid right in. A fellow there motioned for me to sit down next to him. He asked me my name and when I told him, he said "That's right, you get 5 points". When I asked his name he posed me the following: What's found on a duck, a goose, and a platypus. I said Bill, and he said that's right, "Bill Webb". I asked him what his IQ was and he said: What's the next number in the sequence:

129, 130, 131, 132, ...
I said 133? and he said right. Then he asked me my IQ. I said $30 and left.

Here is my take on this. If you laid all the Mensa members end to end, you would never finish because there's another one born every minute.

Definitely a contender for Funniest PF Member!

 

[BobG]

They have at least a few interesting members. In fact, some their members might debunk a few things said in the 'prettiest person' thread:

Geena Davis, actress (in fact, a good actress)
Dr. Julie Peterson, former Playboy "Playmate"
Deborah Yates, member of the Radio City Rockettes

Some, you'd think if they were so smart, they might be a little more concerned about preserving their smarts:

Bobby Czyz, former WBA Cruiserweight champion and now a boxing commentator (he had an excuse - his family was so poor they couldn't afford vowels).
Henry Milligan, 1983 National Amateur Heavyweight Champion (boxing)
Maurice Kanbar, owner of Skyy Vodka (although selling it doesn't necessarily mean he uses it to kill brain cells every night)

Most interesting has to be Bob Speca, Jr, professional domino toppler. (sad to say, but I'm not actually saying that with sarcasm - domino toppling is kind of cool, even if it is an awful lot work for a few seconds of pleasure).

 

[Doc Al]

They have at least a few interesting members. In fact, some their members might debunk a few things said in the 'prettiest person' thread:

Geena Davis, actress (in fact, a good actress)
Dr. Julie Peterson, former Playboy "Playmate"
Deborah Yates, member of the Radio City Rockettes

They never showed up at any meeting I was at.

Some, you'd think if they were so smart, they might be a little more concerned about preserving their smarts:

Bobby Czyz, former WBA Cruiserweight champion and now a boxing commentator (he had an excuse - his family was so poor they couldn't afford vowels).
Henry Milligan, 1983 National Amateur Heavyweight Champion (boxing)
Maurice Kanbar, owner of Skyy Vodka (although selling it doesn't necessarily mean he uses it to kill brain cells every night)

I did kickboxing for a number of years. Those brain cells ain't coming back.

Most interesting has to be Bob Speca, Jr, professional domino toppler. (sad to say, but I'm not actually saying that with sarcasm - domino toppling is kind of cool, even if it is an awful lot work for a few seconds of pleasure).

I can think of better ways to pass the time than toppling dominos.

 

[animalcroc]

Just for a laugh I joined many decades ago, thinking it would be a good place to meet girls. (Yeah, I guess I wasn't that smart.)

lol lesson learned.
I'm guessing a date to them would consist of IQ tests

 

[animalcroc]

I decided to go to Mensa headquarters and find out the real skinny on this group. When I got the the door, they said I couldn't get in unless I got a puzzle right. They asked me "What's the next name in the sequence:"
Bush, Clinton, Bush, ...
I answered Clinton and slid right in. A fellow there motioned for me to sit down next to him. He asked me my name and when I told him, he said "That's right, you get 5 points". When I asked his name he posed me the following: What's found on a duck, a goose, and a platypus. I said Bill, and he said that's right, "Bill Webb". I asked him what his IQ was and he said: What's the next number in the sequence:

129, 130, 131, 132, ...
I said 133? and he said right. Then he asked me my IQ. I said $30 and left.

Here is my take on this. If you laid all the Mensa members end to end, you would never finish because there's another one born every minute.

I just need to know if this is true.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I just need to know if this is true.

Alright, every other minute.

 

[tc_kid]

my friend's sister was in mensa- she dropped out, said it was completely pointless. i was invited to "the international high iq society" after taking an online test but id never heard of it before and it was like 50 bucks so i just typed www.google.com and was off.
i don't see the point in paying for something that's nothing more than a title.
also, i find different online tests often give very different scores.

 

[Kurdt]

I'm surprised the High IQ society would accept an online test. Its hardly a control situation.

 

[animalcroc]

Alright, every other minute.

I admit, I'm kinda slow when it comes to wit.

 

[BobG]

Just for a laugh I joined many decades ago, thinking it would be a good place to meet girls. (Yeah, I guess I wasn't that smart.)

The idea isn't that dumb (assuming MENSA members actually do have superior intelligence). If a female has higher intelligence, then there's less of a chance that she's psychotic. The exception would be bipolar disorder, which doesn't have any correlation to intelligence. But at least you've narrowed the type of psychological disorders you're likely to have to deal with in a mate.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15066893

Unless all the smart girls without mental disorders always have something better to do than attend MENSA meetings, of course. That would kind of blow the whole theory all to hell.

 

[Chi Meson]

Unless all the smart girls without mental disorders always have something better to do than attend MENSA meetings, of course. That would kind of blow the whole theory all to hell.

Bing!

 

[radou]

Do these people actually do anything constructive?

That's a good question. I've met a few people who are members of MENSA, actually, other people told me they were members, and I was like "ooook and?".

 

[turbo]

I was encouraged to join by a teacher who apparently paid special attention to students who had very high test scores. I thought that she was pompous, self-important, and boring, and I didn't want to belong to any group that included her as a member. She thought of herself as a preserver of local history, and may well have done a good job in that respect, but The MENSA bumper sticker on her car and the pedantic attitude that she took toward people whose families had been responsible for shaping the history of this area turned me off. The oral history from old residents should have been given a LOT more importance than official accounts, artifacts, etc.

 

[rhuthwaite]

Is MENSA an American Thing? I've never heard of it over here or in south africa...

 

[rhuthwaite]

I take that back... we do have it just nobody has joined... and if they have they don't talk about it

 

[Kurdt]

It was founded in England. The High IQ society is American to my knowledge.

 

[Astronuc]

I'm like Groucho Marx - I wouldn't belong to any club/organization that would accept someone like me.

 

[Art]

I joined some years back - out of curiosity went to a few meetings organised in local bars and the like, they were okay, people were fine and pretty much like any other group of folk, talked about the usual pub stuff - football etc.

Unlike other people's experiences here (anecdotal or otherwise) intelligence wasn't so much as mentioned by anyone. It seemed more a social opportunity to meet a disparate group of individuals from outside one's normal sphere. There are also SIGs which allow people with the same interest to communicate globally. MENSA is especially useful for people who travel a lot, which can be a lonely experience, as it gives them an introductory route to meet people in the cities they visit. In many countries MENSA has dedicated officers to assist traveling members in regard to visa requirements, accommodation and advice and information on places to visit.

On a national / international level judging from their newsletters there does seem to be a pompous attitude from the political class who strive for 'appointments' to committees etc. but every club and society I've ever known has suffered from the rise to prominence of those with the 'organising and elitist genes' (think golf for example) and so MENSA is probably the same as other clubs in that regard - no better, no worse.

btw most if not all of the fee MENSA charge applicants for the test is to cover the copyright fee they have to pay to the test originators as is made clear in the literature they provide with the test.

 

[Gilligan08]

I have always had a problem with groups or organizations where their intentions are to separate themselves in an elitist fashion. Things like MENSA and frats create an us and them attitude. If you are really a genius then there certainly there is a better way to prove it than by joining a group. Though I have no problems with groups whose soul pupose is to do good or socialize but they have to except everyone who is willing too, regardless of ability or status.

 

[NeoDevin]

Though I have never had much desire to be part of any such groups, I have no problems with their existing. There is no reason a group should have to accept everyone who wants to join, otherwise there would really be no reason to form the group in the first place.

 

[Gilligan08]

Though I have never had much desire to be part of any such groups, I have no problems with their existing. There is no reason a group should have to accept everyone who wants to join, otherwise there would really be no reason to form the group in the first place.

I have really no problems with them existing. Certainly people have the right join whatever group that makes them feel good about themselves.

And your right there is no other reason for them to exist which was exactly my point that there entire purpose is to exclude. But you are wrong that there is no other reason for groups like this to form. There are groups out there that are for people who want to do good or maybe just socialize. I don't see why someone needs a High IQ for anyone of those reasons.

 

[NeoDevin]

If someone decides they want to socialize with people who have high IQ's, that's there choice, I don't choose it, but I can't say they're wrong for doing it.

 

[Art]

A lot of golf societies require an applicant to have a minimum handicap before they'll be accepted as members and I don't see people getting bent out of shape over that.

 

[Evo]

A lot of golf societies require an applicant to have a minimum handicap before they'll be accepted as members and I don't see people getting bent out of shape over that.

Do they go around claiming that they are better than the general public? That's what I dislike about Mensa members. I can't tell you how many times some moron will contact me saying he's a Mensa member as if that will make up for the fact that he otherwise seems to be rather dim witted. Intelligent people don't introduce themselves by claiming to be intelligent, know what I mean?

 

[D H]

... but they have to except everyone who is willing too, regardless of ability or status.

A non-MENSA member speaking here, so no bones to pick.

No, they don't. It is not yet illegal to discriminate against those with lesser ability. Were that the case, every organization that grants scholarships based on ability would be doing so illegally, be that ability athletic, intelligence, whatever. Should the US come to this sad state of affairs, all that would mean is that said organizations would lose their tax-exempt status. It is none of your frickin' business to say who should or should not be allowed to join an organization in which you do not belong and that obeys all extant laws.

 

[turbo]

Intelligent people don't introduce themselves by claiming to be intelligent, know what I mean?

Evo, successful actuaries are no smarter than successful engineers. They just refer to different tables.

The difference is not in raw intelligence (although what is that anyway?!) but in the ability to make observations, integrate observations, make and test inferences based on these observations, and extrapolate with some new ideas (for new phenomonological tests, not wild speculation!). Have we managed to instill this in our current crop of kids? Not yet.

 

[Gilligan08]

A non-MENSA member speaking here, so no bones to pick.

No, they don't. It is not yet illegal to discriminate against those with lesser ability. Were that the case, every organization that grants scholarships based on ability would be doing so illegally, be that ability athletic, intelligence, whatever. Should the US come to this sad state of affairs, all that would mean is that said organizations would lose their tax-exempt status. It is none of your frickin' business to say who should or should not be allowed to join an organization in which you do not belong and that obeys all extant laws.

Wow, not sure how you were able to mangle the conversation in that way but, I never said it was illegal or even suggested that it should be. I said I disagree with the ideaology of groups that do that. That is it. I fully agree that people have the complete legal and natural right to join MENSA.

As far as the golf thing goes, its a sport. I don't think it really falls under the same kinda thing as MENSA. Certainly there are everything from Rec leagues to professional leagues as far as that goes. Where's the competion in MENSA, there isn't any. All it does is let's everyone know you have a high IQ.

I guess if I were to join MENSA it would be for strictly social or philanthropic reasons. But, then again I could probably think of some better group for that reason that didnt exclude anyone.

 

[Art]

Do they go around claiming that they are better than the general public? That's what I dislike about Mensa members. I can't tell you how many times some moron will contact me saying he's a Mensa member as if that will make up for the fact that he otherwise seems to be rather dim witted. Intelligent people don't introduce themselves by claiming to be intelligent, know what I mean?

Bearing in mind there are only 60,000 MENSA members in the US from a pop of 350,000,000 it is incredible you have met so many as to allow you to form such a firm opinion unless of course some or all of the braggarts you met were lying about their membership. Think about those numbers for a moment. Only 1 in 6000 people in the US are members. Most folk would not communicate in any depth with 6000 people in a lifetime so the odds of meeting even 1 genuine member is slim and the odds of that person mentioning their membership even slimmer so the liklihood is those obnoxious people you refer to are indeed unintelligent and to try and impress you otherwise falsly claim membership of MENSA.

All the members I know (including myself) and I know quite a few from the meetings I referred to, never mention their membership to anyone they know in the real world mainly because it's irrelevant in the course of most conversations and because of the reaction it engenders from some people unqualified to join, know what I mean?

And if you have never met a golfer who bragged about his handicap then I'm astonished. I would consider most golf clubs and societies to be far more elitist than MENSA.

 

[Chi Meson]

Art,

Does Mensa have an online forum yet that doesn't require Compuserve?

Back in 1994, it was my reason for joining both. Later, I found that anyone who had Compuserve didn't need to be a member of Mensa to participate in the Mensa forum. It was pretty good, I must say. A lot of interesting discussions, exactly as it is here. It was my erstwhile online home for four years or so, much the way PF is now.

Then I went back to Mac, switched from Compuserve (not Mac-friendly at the time) and the Mensa forum was lost. That's when I tried their mailserve chat groups. Rubbish.

That was in 1999, and occasionally since then I would see if the Mensans had figured out how to get a true online community going.

 

[J77]

Is being a member of MENSA comparable to being a Freemason... ?

btw. I just got 141 on a facebook IQ test, do you think they'd let me join...

 

[Art]

Chi - Not that I know of in the format you mentioned though as a somewhat sedentary member there could well be one I am unaware of. I know there is a US SIG named NTN (National Trivia Network) which I believe operates as an online forum but as a SIG membership would be restricted to MENSA members.

 

[Art]

Is being a member of MENSA comparable to being a Freemason... ?

btw. I just got 141 on a facebook IQ test, do you think they'd let me join...

Only if you also know the secret handshake, can prove a blood connection to royalty and have a par handicap in golf. Gotta keep the standards up