Listing MENSA on your med school app?

[TheMightySmiter]

It's so frustrating to me how many people on these boards do not understand that it takes above average intelligence to become a doctor.

It takes hard work to become a doctor...and, yes, a certain level of intelligence. But being more intelligent doesn't necessarily make you a better applicant or a better doctor. That's why it's kind of douchey to list Mensa on your application. You can show that you are intelligent enough to excel in med school by your MCAT and GPA. There's no reason to emphasize IQ.

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[Wilf]

You can show that you are intelligent enough to excel in med school by your MCAT and GPA. There's no reason to emphasize IQ.

See there's where the difference in opinion comes into play. I believe that IQ is a good measure of innate intelligence, while others don't believe so. I think that is probably more of an ideological opinion on your part, whereas I am more objective about it.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

See there's where the difference in opinion comes into play. I believe that IQ is a good measure of innate intelligence, while others don't believe so. I think that is probably more of an ideological opinion on your part, whereas I am more objective about it.

I think IQ is a good measure of innate intelligence--at least, one definition of innate intelligence. I do not, however, believe that it is necessarily an accurate predictor of success in medical school.

 

[Wilf]

I think IQ is a good measure of innate intelligence--at least, one definition of innate intelligence. I do not, however, believe that it is necessarily an accurate predictor of success in medical school.

Is the MCAT?
Is undergrad GPA?

I'd bet that if studies were done, innate intelligence would predict success as well as those two measures.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Is the MCAT?
Is undergrad GPA?

I'd bet that if studies were done, innate intelligence would predict success as well as those two measures.

GPA shows your work ethic. MCAT shows your analytical and memorization ability. All three of these are important for medical school. GPA and MCAT aren't perfect indicators, but I think they're a helluva lot better than an IQ text would be. Do you actually believe that everyone with a high IQ would do well in med school? Or make a good doctor?

 

[Wilf]

GPA shows your work ethic. MCAT shows your analytical and memorization ability. All three of these are important for medical school. GPA and MCAT aren't perfect indicators, but I think they're a helluva lot better than an IQ text would be. Do you actually believe that everyone with a high IQ would do well in med school? Or make a good doctor?

I barely studied in college and graduated with above a 3.9 GPA. Are you sure it shows work ethic?
Anyone with a very high IQ (above 140) could be successful in med school, assuming they don't have a disease that would preclude it. But no, I'm not saying they would all make good doctors. But not all people with high GPAs or MCAT scores would be either.

 

[ponyo]

Is the MCAT?
Is undergrad GPA?

I'd bet that if studies were done, innate intelligence would predict success as well as those two measures.

Yet not Mensa membership, apparently, based on their own list...

I mean, parental socioeconomic status is a pretty HUGE predictor of success, but it'd be an effing sh*tty standard for med school admissions.

 

[mTOR]

http://www.mensa.org/prominent-mensans

hmm

Prominent Mensans

As this list suggests, Mensa is a remarkably diverse organization. While some Mensans noted here are well known, many others lead interesting lives out of the public eye.

Geena Davis: Academy-award winning actress, who has starred in The Long Kiss Goodnight, A League of Their Own, Thelma and Louise and Hero.

Donald Petersen: A former chairman of Ford Motor Company. While at Ford, Petersen was involved in the development of two of Ford's most successful cars--the Mustang and the Maverick.

Marilyn Vos Savant: Listed in the Guinness Hall of Fame for having the world's highest recorded IQ (228). Vos Savant writes "Ask Marilyn!", a weekly column in Parade magazine.

Sir Clive Sinclair: Inventor and chairman of British Mensa for 17 years.

Bobby Czyz: A former two-time World Boxing Association (WBA) Cruiserweight Champion. Czyz now commentates on many nationally-broadcasted fights.

Dr. Julie Peterson: A former Playboy "Playmate," Peterson is a graduate of Life School of Chiropractic.

Dr Lance L Ware: One of the two founders of Mensa.

Roland Berrill: An Australian, he met Lance Ware on a train in England and together they founded Mensa.

Alan Rachins: Portrayed Dharma's father, Larry, on the comedy series, "Dharma & Greg." Rachins, who left the Wharton School of Finance to pursue an acting career, also portrayed Douglas Brachman on the hit TV series, "L.A. Law."

Sir Jimmy Savile: UK TV personality and DJ, famous for "Jim'll fix It" - making dreams come true.

Adrian Cronauer: Radio personality, lawyer and subject for the movie "Good Morning Vietnam."

Terance Black: Screenwriter of HBO's "Tales from the Crypt", syndicated series "Dark Justice" and the feature film Dead Heat.

Barry Nolan: Co-anchor of TV's syndicated tabloid program "Hard Copy."

Deborah Yates: Member of the world-famous Radio City Rockettes.

Bob Speca, Jr.: Professional domino toppler. Speca travels internationally doing domino shows and has appeared on TV programs and commercials.

John N. Moore: University of Virginia law professor who specializes in international law. Moore was hired by the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait to help the emirate recover damages inflicted during the August 2, 1990 invasion.

Jean Auel: Best-selling author of "Clan of the Cave Bear," "Valley of Horses," and "Plains of Passage."

Linda Warwick: Creator and producer of the billboard mega-hit childrens' videos, "Babymugs!," and the "Toddler TOGS" series--the fantasy video for highly creative tots.

Maurice Kanbar: Inventor and owner of Skyy Vodka.

Henry Milligan: A boxer and scholar, Milligan was the 1983 National Amateur Heavyweight champion.

Patricia P. Jennings: Pianist with the Pittsburgh Symphony. She is the symphony's first black member and has performed internationally.

Richard Lederer: A master of the "pun." Lederer has written dozens of books on word play and is a frequent guest on National Public Radio.

Judge Ellen Morphonios: Nicknamed "Maximum Morphonios" for her strict rulings in Florida. Morphonios is a former model and beauty queen who passed a Florida exam that allowed her to enter law school without an undergraduate degree.

Richard Bolles: Author of "What Color is Your Parachute?" which at one point had been on The New York Times Best-seller List for 228 weeks.

Velma Jeremiah: A retired attorney who graduated fourth in her law school class at the age of 47. She is a former chairwoman of Mensa International.

Dr. Abbie F. Salny: Author of the Mensa "Quiz-a-Day" books and calendars. Dr. Salny is a retired college professor and expert in intelligence who has served as Mensa's supervising psychologist.

 

[Wilf]

Yet not Mensa membership, apparently, based on their own list...

I mean, parental socioeconomic status is a pretty HUGE predictor of success, but it'd be an effing sh*tty standard for med school admissions.

You and mTOR missed the point.

 

[Eric01]

I barely studied in college and graduated with above a 3.9 GPA. Are you sure it shows work ethic?
Anyone with a very high IQ (above 140) could be successful in med school, assuming they don't have a disease that would preclude it. But no, I'm not saying they would all make good doctors. But not all people with high GPAs or MCAT scores would be either.

The complexity of the mind is such that assigning a number or trying to quantize some abstract ability in some imaginary plane with puzzles and timed conditions is akin to trying to measure atoms with a ruler.

The exams have statistical reliability sure, but what tangible inference can be made from a person's ability to solve puzzles? You can argue all day long about implicit references to the underlying logic and problem solving skills, but at the end of the day it's just one field. Who's to say that developing quantum electrodynamics is not more conceptually rigorous than solving which block is colored red in a series?

People's minds have a tendency to specialize in certain interests, whereas other people are intellectually stimulated by things such as cooking, others are by mathematics, science, physics, astronomy, and indeed a wealth of other relevant interests. It's really no wonder that people like chess players score the highest on IQ exams because their minds are simply geared towards solving puzzles. Does that mean they can be proficient in other fields? One can't say exactly, and that's why as a tool it's rather meaningless in real life.

Orders of magnitude more important is one's willingness to persist and the level of motivation they have in certain fields.

 

[Ryuichi]

A lot of interesting replies here guys, thank you for the input.
It is fairly clear that there tends to be a negative stigma associated with the group, and I understand that now.

Also, the veiled insults and etc. are not really necessary, I was tested for IQ at a young age due to behavioral anomalies in structured school settings. I just joined MENSA to meet another interesting group of people, that is all, nothing more. Anyways, it seems as though I will not put it on my app. I have other ECs without any risk factor

 

[Fakesmile]

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[sector9]

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Post edited by fakesmile so now mine doesn't make sense....

 

[Coffee Machine]

In an interview today I was asked what my biggest academic regret was, and my answer was my performance in high school. I said that it was a disgrace that someone as smart as me was so lazy, and that I think that it's the responsibility of intelligent people to work hard and utilize their gifts to make a difference. The interviewer asked me if I had any concrete examples of why I thought I was intelligent (that sounds mean when I type it, but it was asked in a non-confrontational way), and I said that I was a member of Mensa, among other things. But I did follow it up with saying that I don't think that IQ is the end all be all of intelligence. I didn't list Mensa on my app, fwiw. The interviewer was impressed and thought I answered the question well.

 

[centrigeugle]

I'll just leave this right over here

 

[wholeheartedly]

Only major league crazies and insecure egomaniacs actually take real IQ tests.

This is sooo not true. My birthday was a month later than the cutoff to start school when I was little and my mom thought I was ready. The school had me take a real IQ test and determined I was ready to start school based on my scores and some other factors. There are plenty of reasons these tests are administered that have nothing to do with being crazy or insecure.

I'm not a MENSA member and I definitely agree that any benefit that would come from having a higher IQ should be illustrated by other things in an application. It really shouldn't be necessary to list it unless you've been active in one of the groups in a way that could be an EC. I'm still surprised at the negativity towards the group, though.

There are a lot of clubs and groups within the organization that people can be a part of (including medical service groups) and from what I've seen it's more of a way to socialize with people with similar interests than some elitist 'we're better than everyone because we're smart' group. I'm sure some of you have found it nice to have some fellow science geek folks to talk about your interests with who actually understand what you're talking about. Personally I like to surround myself with people I can learn from.

Granted there can be D-bags in every group but the degree of stereotyping on this thread is pretty laughable. Most of the elitist jerks I know tend to fake a lot of what they supposedly know and the brightest tend to be fairly quiet about it.

 

[Smachadams]

How do you guys feel about this?

You probably should also list the size of your member..

Never can be too sure with medical school admissions these days you know 😀


Most people will see it as trying too hard to impress..besides, if you're that smart, your MCAT is supposed to impress them enough. 😉