Is MENSA looked upon negatively?

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Do you think putting MENSA on an application will be positive or negative?

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[NapeSpikes]

Do you think putting MENSA on an application will be positive or negative?

Mensa members are a dime a dozen. Unless you're an active member (attend regular meetings, hold an office, received a scholarship, etc.), don't bother mentioning it.

And no, the admissions people are usually highy accomplished people, in medicine and/or other fields, so not only would they not become jealous , they probably wouldn't even care.

 

[45408]

odds are, if they're on an adcom, they are fairly capable of joining MENSA as well. I know that you can have a low IQ and still go places, but these are some pretty smart people on the whole. I doubt they'd be jealous, but unless you're an active member, it's not going to matter much, and it might look like you joined just for the ego boost.

 

[hannahx]

Do you think putting MENSA on an application will be positive or negative?

LMAO! "..become jealous..." is part of a response?? You've got to be kidding me. I think that adcomers will not only not care, they will probably think you're silly for putting that on an app.

To me, that's not necessarily an acomplishment (unless you're an involved Mensa member) so much as an attribute (having a high IQ). For instance I wouldn't put that I have healthy cholesterol levels on my application unless my GPA or MCAT were serverely deficient.

 

[BradenDO]

For instance I wouldn't put that I have healthy cholesterol levels on my application unless my GPA or MCAT were serverely deficient.

LOL! Don't forget to include your blood sample to prove it!

 

[tigress]

I just think MENSA is silly. Truthfully, I could see somebody having a negative response to seeing it on an application. But if you're really active and it's important to you, that could be different. Just for the sake of saying you're in MENSA is silliness.

 

[BlahtoThis]

Please, just don't put it down. Being a physician doesn't require your having a high IQ but just that you work hard. There is probably about an equal percentage of super-intelligent people in medicine, business, law, journalism, research (PhD stuff). There's even a porn star in Mensa. Having a high IQ and being intelligent does NOT make medical school easier or better, and will not make you do better than the people around you. The people who do best are the people who work the hardest and have the most dedication (there IS a correlation in medical school between how much time you spend reading and your grades, unlike other areas like math or physics).

Most doctors realize this. Pre-meds don't and just like to think they're the cream of the crop. (I was there once too.) So please, don't put it down.

 

[noonday]

mensa. tee hee. it's so easy to become a member...it's not only IQ. it's IQ or SAT's or GRE's over a certain score, or passing a test. so basically, it's like MCAT. i think i'd agree with the people who say it'd bee seen as arrogant and silly.

as an aside, i left off that i was a local official scrabble champion and had gone to regionals, because i thought it sounded lame. but now i wonder...because it's kinda funky and humanizing in a completely dorky way.

oh, well.

 

[BlahtoThis]

mensa. tee hee. it's so easy to become a member...it's not only IQ. it's IQ or SAT's or GRE's over a certain score, or passing a test. so basically, it's like MCAT. i think i'd agree with the people who say it'd bee seen as arrogant and silly.

as an aside, i left off that i was a local official scrabble champion and had gone to regionals, because i thought it sounded lame. but now i wonder...because it's kinda funky and humanizing in a completely dorky way.

oh, well.

Alright, that would be fun. Having been on an admission committee throughout medical school, that adds a dimension (the scrabble championship) that sounds interesting and sets you apart. 👍

 

[tacrum43]

mensa. tee hee. it's so easy to become a member...it's not only IQ. it's IQ or SAT's or GRE's over a certain score, or passing a test. so basically, it's like MCAT. i think i'd agree with the people who say it'd bee seen as arrogant and silly.

as an aside, i left off that i was a local official scrabble champion and had gone to regionals, because i thought it sounded lame. but now i wonder...because it's kinda funky and humanizing in a completely dorky way.

oh, well.

Actually, MENSA doesn't accept MCAT results because it's a knowledge based test instead of intelligence.

I took the MENSA test once and passed, but I decided not to put it on my AMCAS because it didn't seem very worthwhile since I didn't do anything with my MENSA membership.

 

[Sundarban1]

Ya'll are just haters. Put it down.

 

[big_smiles]

I would say no on the MENSA. But things sometimes creep up on secondaries....especially when you have open ended questions and can talk about anything. For example, I once mentioned pogo-stick jumping on a secondary and another time about overcoming an eating disorder.
Good luck on the apps, I'm sure you have other experiences to add. May be more meaningful

 

[Hoberto]

There is no, "It won't affect the application." option in the poll. I think this would be like putting Who's Who or one of those other pay for membership 'honor' societies on your application.

I could see where it could be a negative if the adcommer has attended many of the meetings. We go to the regional/national meetings occasionally and some of the local meetings and they are full of people with poor social skills. Do you want to be associated with poor social skills?

On the other hand, Mensa does a lot of good charity work and if you were involved in those efforts it would be good to put on your application. If you presented at any of the regional/national meetings that could be an asset, too. Here, though, membership Mensa is secondary and the work you've done should be the primary focus in your application. (I hope.)

Putting Mensa in one of those valuable AMCAS spots is probably foolish. It's like putting membership in your school's Pre-Med Club. If you don't have some specific duty or are really active in it, what's the point?

 

[Saluki]

Personally, I think the idea of a club based solely on IQ is elitist/dumb. However, I'm not an adcom; maybe they would think the fact that you're a member of it is cool. I'd say leave it off unless A)you were really involved or B) you don't have any other activities to put in its place....

 

[robotsonic]

What exactly do people do at MENSA meetings? I've never had any desire to join, as I've also thought that a society based on an IQ test was a bit silly, and I didn't really see a purpose. Is there a purpose for this organization? Do you get together and write those MENSA logic puzzle books I've seen in bookstores?

 

[Indryd]

mensa. tee hee. it's so easy to become a member...it's not only IQ. it's IQ or SAT's or GRE's over a certain score, or passing a test. so basically, it's like MCAT. i think i'd agree with the people who say it'd bee seen as arrogant and silly.

as an aside, i left off that i was a local official scrabble champion and had gone to regionals, because i thought it sounded lame. but now i wonder...because it's kinda funky and humanizing in a completely dorky way.

oh, well.

Did you mention that you were Henry Rollins? That would impress me. I'd ask you to kick my ass.

 

[06applicant]

I've never had any desire to join, as I've also thought that a society based on an IQ test was a bit silly, and I didn't really see a purpose. Is there a purpose for this organization? Do you get together and write those MENSA logic puzzle books I've seen in bookstores?

I too think it's silly. I think the purpose is to make people who score high on an IQ test feel superior. It’s funny though, since it’s just a score on another test and really doesn’t mean anything more.

By the way, I always score really high on the internet IQ tests, so for those who think they mean something, I must know what I’m talking about when I say they don't .

 

[robotsonic]

You know, now that I'm thinking about it, it might be pretty cool to write those logic puzzle books... someone tell me if this is what they do, I just might join Kidding.

 

[Saluki]

I too think it's silly. I think the purpose is to make people who score high on an IQ test feel superior. It’s funny though, since it’s just a score on another test and really doesn’t mean anything more.

By the way, I always score really high on the internet IQ tests, so for those who think they mean something, I must know what I’m talking about when I say they don't .

I've taken two of those internet IQ tests- both when I should have been writing English papers The difference between them was twenty points... You've got to take those tests with a grain of salt- even people who administer them for a living admit that it's highly subjective...

 

[deuist]

Next week's thread: "Should I put Who's Who on my application? Will the daen of admissions become jealous that he's not in the big book?"

 

[LizzyM]

LMAO! "..become jealous..." is part of a response?? You've got to be kidding me. I think that adcomers will not only not care, they will probably think you're silly for putting that on an app.

To me, that's not necessarily an acomplishment (unless you're an involved Mensa member) so much as an attribute (having a high IQ).

Hannahq is on the money. 👍

 

[tsj]

Do you think putting MENSA on an application will be positive or negative?

I would leave it off. It's not an achievement like graduating first in the class, being phi beta kappa, winning a poster presentation, being a track star, winning a piano recital competition,... etc.

 

[Law2Doc]

mensa. tee hee. it's so easy to become a member...it's not only IQ. it's IQ or SAT's or GRE's over a certain score, or passing a test. so basically, it's like MCAT. i think i'd agree with the people who say it'd bee seen as arrogant and silly.

Agree with this. It's not based on a measure of IQ, and takes scores on too many tests. A huge chunk (perhaps most) of med school applicants had SAT scores adequate to join MENSA. Thus being a member of a so-called genius organization that most other applicants could have joined (if they felt the need for the validation) isn't too meaningful. If you were an active participant in running a local chapter of MENSA, I suppose that would be an okay EC (as would being an active member of any club), but merely stating that you are a member and/or going to a few meetings seems a bit worthless. I agree with the Who's Who comparison in this case.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
It is neither a positive nor a negative factor on your application. For example, I never scored more than 100 on any IQ test yet I earned a Ph.D in Biochemistry and was accepted by six out of six medical schools and attended on a full-ride scholarship graduating AOA and doing very well in a fairly competitive residency. I am a good student and I worked pretty hard to get the grades but I am dead average in intelligence.

If I had been a member of Mensa, I probably would have included this under hobbies and other interests but I do not believe it would have had much to do with my medical school acceptances. My GPA and MCAT scores were pretty competitive which, were the main factors in my admissions success.

njbmd 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

For example, I never scored more than 100 on any IQ test...

Again, MENSA admission for many is based on SATs or other standardized test scores, not the IQ test.

 

[xonkdt]

yah i think it is like a 163 on the LSAT which really isn't all that spectacular of a score

 

[pagemmapants]

I put Mensa on my app, having taken the test just to see if I could make it and then paying the dues because I felt like I should for at least once year, but I haven't gotten ANYTHING from it (i.e. I haven't attended a single meeting, nor have I really had any desire to, etc).
Unfortunately, when I was little I thought that Mensa was something a little closer to what I think the Illuminati ACTUALLY were once upon a time. Boy was I wrong.
Long story short, I think it doesn't really matter either way unless a) the interviewer(s) is/are (a) member(s) or b) someone on the AdCom had a bad experience with a Mensan or the society itself. Other than that i'd say it's pretty much on par with NSCS, Golden Key, or any of those similar associations.

 

[pagemmapants]

Again, MENSA admission for many is based on SATs or other standardized test scores, not the IQ test.

The Mensa test itself is more like an IQ test rather than a typical "standardized" test; i.e. pattern recognition, analogies, etc. They do accept LSAT and SAT scores, but the SATs are only valid if taken prior to some time before 2000 (I know because mine weren't valid - I think the cutoff is like prior to 1990?). They're supposed to be screening out to get to the "top 2%" (which in all reality is quite a chunk) so it's pretty understandable that a ton of people qualify via SAT. I mean, assuming SF has a population of around 6 million, then there're 120,000 people qualified to be Mensans in the city alone. That's a LOT!

 

[Law2Doc]

The Mensa test itself is more like an IQ test rather than a typical "standardized" test; i.e. pattern recognition, analogies, etc. They do accept LSAT and SAT scores, but the SATs are only valid if taken prior to some time before 2000 (I know because mine weren't valid - I think the cutoff is like prior to 1990?). They're supposed to be screening out to get to the "top 2%" (which in all reality is quite a chunk) so it's pretty understandable that a ton of people qualify via SAT. I mean, assuming SF has a population of around 6 million, then there're 120,000 people qualified to be Mensans in the city alone. That's a LOT!

I guess that dates me. 🙁 At any rate most adcom members are of older vintage and will have known of MENSA from back in the day when anyone with a good SAT could join. Top 2% of the population cut-off ends up being a much greater percentage of the med school bound crowd, perhaps even the majority. Thus I doubt it helps. And could be seen negatively as an exercise in self-importance to purport to hold onesself out as a card carrying "genius".

 

[njbmd]

yah i think it is like a 163 on the LSAT which really isn't all that spectacular of a score

Hey there,
I scored 169 on the LSAT last year. Does this mean that with a top score of 100 on Stanford-Binet, I might qualify for Mensa? They might let an average IQ but hard-working person like me into their organization. I am totally astonished.

njbmd 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey there,
I scored 169 on the LSAT last year. Does this mean that with a top score of 100 on Stanford-Binet, I might qualify for Mensa? They might let an average IQ but hard-working person like me into their organization. I am totally astonished.

njbmd 🙂

That's why nobody takes it too seriously.

 

[45408]

Hey there,
I scored 169 on the LSAT last year. Does this mean that with a top score of 100 on Stanford-Binet, I might qualify for Mensa? They might let an average IQ but hard-working person like me into their organization. I am totally astonished.

njbmd 🙂

"average IQ" doesn't really go hand-in-hand with a 169 on the LSAT. give yourself some credit.

 

[werd]

what's MENSA? never heard of it. from the posts it's a club for smart people?

 

[tacrum43]

what's MENSA? never heard of it. from the posts it's a club for smart people?

Sorta. It's supposed to be a "society" (whatever that means) for people who are in the top 2% of IQ scores. Apparently, that equals about 135 or higher. However, you can also qualify with high SAT scores and a few other tests. Not the MCAT though.

Mostly, it seems to be a place for people who are bored to go and solve brain teasers, etc. It's mostly old people from what I gather, but I guess that's good for retired people to keep their brains sharp.

 

[Hoberto]

What exactly do people do at MENSA meetings? I've never had any desire to join, as I've also thought that a society based on an IQ test was a bit silly, and I didn't really see a purpose. Is there a purpose for this organization? Do you get together and write those MENSA logic puzzle books I've seen in bookstores?

It is like any other social organization. There are several special interest groups that get together on a regular basis. One group goes to a different restaurant for dinner once/month to chat. There are several charity groups that organize food & clothing drives, Habitat for Humanity teams and other similar projects. There are groups that meet to practice foreign languages or other hobbies.

Each local section has officers that organize the meetings, maintain web sites, write and publish the newsletter and advertise and organize the scholarship monies and applications. Other Mensans are recruited to write articles for the newsletter, help with the scholarship duties and/or plan the larger meetings.

At the larger regional or national meetings guest speakers are brought in to talk about different topics ranging from ID to the benefits of aromatherapy. These regional and national meetings are the most fun because you can learn about any topic imaginable from extremely knowledgable speakers in a small forum. Usually the admission cost includes meals, refreshments and entertainment. Like any other social group there's typically music, beer and dancing, too. The median age I would guess at about 45. There are usually pre-teens and teens around, too, who I'm sure are kids of some of the members.

I think it's not too different from sororities and fraternities. It's just a chance for people to get together and have fun.

Here are the qualifying test scores.

 

[pagemmapants]

On a randomly entertaining note. . . if the top 2% is too forgiving a cut-off for you, perhaps you'd prefer entry into the following:

Top One Percent society (self explanatory)
One in a Thousand (likewise)
Prometheus society (top 0.0003%)
Mega society (top 0.00001%)

All founded by one Dr. Hoeflin. To give you some idea, on SATs after 1995 the Prometheus society's cutoff is 1520. Mega has its own admission test.

A question from a Mega admission test?

thing : dangerous :: spring : ????

 

[SuperTrooper]

I've always thought that entry into MENSA was based on IQ. That's how it's popularized in tv/movies, and i bet most people think the same. So, I don't think it would be a good idea to mention it on an application because the IQ test's main purpose is to help diagnose learning difficulties in children. Why on earth would a person with no 'learning or psych' problems bother to take a real IQ test? The only possible explanation is that they're full of themselves, and want to be part of a club that shows they're smarter than other people. I'd think you had a chip on your shoulder or something.

 

[Doogie Howser]

i really don't see i problem with mensa on the application... many students put dean's list down, whats the difference?

 

[Shredder]

A huge chunk (perhaps most) of med school applicants had SAT scores adequate to join MENSA.

MCAT scores arent accepted as a measure of intelligence, and SAT were no longer accepted as of many years ago. Many premeds as well as adcom members would fail to get in. It's easy to tell smart from not so smart, regardless of this and that EC.

List of eligible tests and cutoffs
Many fail to consider that test scores, like grades, have inflated over time. I was discussing recently with some friends that Bush's C average at Yale was probably not such a failure in his day as it is today. And same with Kerry, to make it nonpartisan. But I know you libbies will flare up no matter what. Remember that calculators were not even permitted on the SAT in the old days (in fact, I think that may be the turning point for when it was no longer accepted; I suppose Mensa places heavy emphasis on mental math). As in many areas of American education, standards are loosening.

 

[Ephesus]

I would never put MENSA or any other HiQ society memberships on my application.

I would higly recommend against doing so. However, my friend who is going to Cornell for his MEng in computer science put down MENSA on his application.

 

[Ephesus]

mensa. tee hee. it's so easy to become a member...it's not only IQ. it's IQ or SAT's or GRE's over a certain score, or passing a test. so basically, it's like MCAT. i think i'd agree with the people who say it'd bee seen as arrogant and silly.

as an aside, i left off that i was a local official scrabble champion and had gone to regionals, because i thought it sounded lame. but now i wonder...because it's kinda funky and humanizing in a completely dorky way.

oh, well.

I don't know if it's exactly 'so easy'.. Only 2 in 100 people will qualify for memberships. The reason they accept the GRE and SAT is because it correlates almost perfectly to IQ.

 

[ND2005]

MCAT scores arent accepted as a measure of intelligence, and SAT were no longer accepted as of many years ago. Many premeds as well as adcom members would fail to get in. It's easy to tell smart from not so smart, regardless of this and that EC.

List of eligible tests and cutoffs
Many fail to consider that test scores, like grades, have inflated over time. I was discussing recently with some friends that Bush's C average at Yale was probably not such a failure in his day as it is today. And same with Kerry, to make it nonpartisan. But I know you libbies will flare up no matter what. Remember that calculators were not even permitted on the SAT in the old days (in fact, I think that may be the turning point for when it was no longer accepted; I suppose Mensa places heavy emphasis on mental math). As in many areas of American education, standards are loosening.

Oh come on. A 3 month bump just so you can get the last word?

 

[Ephesus]

You know, now that I'm thinking about it, it might be pretty cool to write those logic puzzle books... someone tell me if this is what they do, I just might join Kidding.

Compare penis sizes and drink. I've gone to one, and I'll never go back.

 

[Shredder]

Oh come on. A 3 month bump just so you can get the last word?

It's considered proper netiquette to bump an old thread rather than starting a new one. Pre-allos seem oblivious to this judging by the constant rehasing of old topics in new threads, often nearly verbatim. Consider it the first comment after a hiatus. The search function is there for a reason. Recentering of SAT and PSAT scores is constantly being overlooked. Many med students would not qualify for Mensa.

 

[DNM503]

What is MENSA?

 

[ND2005]

It's considered proper netiquette to bump an old thread rather than starting a new one.

It's considered improper netiquette to bump an old thread when you aren't adding anything new to the discussion.

It was pointed out on January 16th that SAT scores after 1990 do not qualify someone for Mensa membership, and Law2doc even responded to this. The conversation had run its course.

 

[Ephesus]

>What is MENSA?

mensa.org

HiQ society for top 2% of general unselected population.

 

[Jedix123]

anyone figure out that analogy yet?

 

[lord_jeebus]

Remember that calculators were not even permitted on the SAT in the old days (in fact, I think that may be the turning point for when it was no longer accepted; I suppose Mensa places heavy emphasis on mental math). As in many areas of American education, standards are loosening.

I'm pretty sure they stopped accepting SAT when they recentered the scoring. 1500+ used to be amazing and 1600 practically unheard of, with the new system these scores are not that uncommon. With the recentering SAT ceased to be a sensitive measure of intelligence in the upper range.

Back in the day the SAT also had an antonyms section...

As an aside, I took the Mensa test once because a really attractive girl I knew wanted to take it but didn't want to go alone. (I will admit that I was curious to see how I'd do but her hotness was the prime motivator.) The test is interesting in that it's all symbols and pattern recognition: there is not a single word. It allows them to use the same test in any country. However, because it really only tests one aspect of cognitive processing, I can imagine many people not qualifying on this test but easily meeting MENSA criteria on a WAIS or Stanford-Binet.

The Hoeflin tests pagemmapants mentioned are interesting also because they are not timed, yet they seem to be rather good tests for above-average IQ. They are heavy in references to literature and mythology however, and have quite a cultural bias as a result. One could probably boost one's score 10 points in a year by reading the right kind of books.

 

[lord_jeebus]

anyone figure out that analogy yet?

Thing : Dangerous :: Spring : Pierian

You either know the poem (http://poetry.eserver.org/essay-on-criticism.html) or you don't. It's kind of a lame analogy b/c it's just looking to see if you read the poems Hoeflin thinks are important.