Mensa?

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Do you actually do anything there? I considered joining a while ago, but it sounded too pretentious and kind of pointless (plus the dues were pretty high, IMO). If I missed something and there are actually worthwhile activities in the society, I'd go ahead and include it, if I were you. But if you don't do much there, just pass on it.
 
Don't bother; it didn't help me with my applications any, and I was told by LizzyM that most if not all medical students are Mensan material anyway, if they would just take an IQ test. She also said it "smacked of elitism" so it may harm your application instead of helping it.

PM me if you have other questions!
 
It's funny you mention that, I just took the entrance test for Mensa last week. Anywho, I was talking to my tester about med school, and she was saying that although it is a great group, most people would probably opt out from listing it on their apps. Why? Some people get the wrong idea, or make certain assumptions based on it, and then if you somehow don't fulfill those assumptions, it can all go awry. She told me that a lot of her Mensa friends don't tell the people they work with because then they start to pick apart everything they say, all the while thinking, "And he's in Mensa?" So it's up to you. I was considering listing it on my apps if I get in, but I think I'll wait, and then if I feel like throwing that in there during an interview or on a secondary, I will.
 
There was that one Mensan guy on the Apprentice that makes doinmybest5840's words ring true: when he fumbled, regardless of how badly, others were quick to laugh and judge him. People try harder to belittle and criticize you. Which is silly, because Mensans are generally kind and sociable, not elitist or snobbish.
 
God forbid you put it and get a doc interviewer who was rejected by MENSA. Good luck at that school.
 
sgglaze said:
God forbid you put it and get a doc interviewer who was rejected by MENSA. Good luck at that school.
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$^19&^$# I should've thought about that. All things considered, though, Mensa used to accept SAT scores prior to the 70's, and the cutoff was low. Like 1200 or so. I'm sure any undergraduate who wanted to could get admitted then, much less the admissions committee of a medical school!

One pediatric anesthetist at BCM was pretty irked by it, but that could've been because he and I didn't seem to get along very well, and not because of the Mensa involvement.

PS to Prowler -- I am involved with the Gulf Coast Mensa, so it wasn't just a feather in my hat to boast about.
 
danierrr said:
and I was told by LizzyM that most if not all medical students are Mensan material anyway, if they would just take an IQ test. She also said it "smacked of elitism" so it may harm your application instead of helping it.
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Agree with this, expecially since MENSA used to let people in with certain SAT, MCAT, GMAT etc scores in lieu of any specialized IQ test. So unless you are active in the organization, it basically just means you paid for bragging rights for something that many people in the process, as well as many adcoms, were also entitled to. Some might suggest that it suggests too much focus on outside impressions in lieu of self confidence-- that being thought of by others as intelligent was important to you, or that you somehow needed reinforcement on that point.
I don't actually think it will harm your application, but I don't really see how it could help, and it could rub people the wrong way. Just my two cents.
 
Now if it were the Prometheus society (top 0.3% of the population versus Mensa at top 2%) that might be a different story. 'twould certainly still smack of elitism; esp if paired with "the Objectivist Society" or something similar.
 
If you believe that you can adequately sum up a person's intelligence into one number, I think you're nuts.

Sports are even simpler to "rate" players, and they NEVER try to sum up a player in one number. It's always a series of stats and nothing else.
 
I agree with everyone who recommends keeping it off your application. There's nothing wrong with being a member if you enjoy it. However, it can (a) be misconstrued as pretentious, and (b) does not in ANY way set you apart from other applicants. It's a bit like any honors society. We're all intelligent people. This is evident in our GPAs, accomplishments, and what our letters of recommendation say about us. Being in Mensa won't really help you.

Question for those of you who are members: why join Mensa? What do you get out of it? I honestly had no idea that younger people joined; I always thought it was more of a middle-aged sort of thing to do.
 
I would not put it...
One of my interviewers asked me about my 3 great achievements and I think I said getting in mensa for the last one... just said I was kinda proud about it. But then I asked him not to put it in the written notes he was taking bc I didn't want to sound snobby.. and he laughed and said Ok.
I got in
I guess I think if you put it on the written app, it sounds snobby... unless you're very active and hold a leadership or otherwise influential position. don't put it just to let the adcom know you're smart..
 
I'm unfortunately not in MENSA, so I listed an EC called "Demonstration of Intellectual Superiority". I basically just listed various clever ideas I've had over the years - some are only marginally impressive, but others (like the flying car) are sure to raise some adcom eyebrows!
 
danierrr said:
$^19&^$# I should've thought about that. All things considered, though, Mensa used to accept SAT scores prior to the 70's, and the cutoff was low. Like 1200 or so. I'm sure any undergraduate who wanted to could get admitted then, much less the admissions committee of a medical school!

One pediatric anesthetist at BCM was pretty irked by it, but that could've been because he and I didn't seem to get along very well, and not because of the Mensa involvement.

PS to Prowler -- I am involved with the Gulf Coast Mensa, so it wasn't just a feather in my hat to boast about.
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Your assumption about the old SAT is incorrect. The old SAT had a VERY high ceiling in terms of scoring. Getting a 1200 back then was like getting a 1500/1600 (I don't know how that new essay would factor in). That's why almost everybody on SDN undoubtably scored "higher" than their parents did. Hence, mensa no longer accepts SAT scores because the adjusted scale is meaningless in terms of objectively scoring intelligence.

But yeah, listing any activity without being invovled sounds like a bad set up for interview questions. What will you say when you're asked about it? "Oh, I pay dues"?
 
I know a guy in Mensa and we talk smack about him all the time...

"If Jim (name changed to protect innocent) is so smart, why is he 70 pounds overweight? You'd think being in Mensa he'd be able to count calories..."

Based on Jim's description of it, Mensa is a place for people who are too good to socialize with all the "little people" around them. It's just a bunch of people with high IQ tests and not necessary ANY other achievement with no purpose to the organization except exclusion of those less worthy. In med school, you get the same high-IQ social opportunities, except with people who are smart AND hardworking, empathetic and altruistic, who are all joined in a common purpose-to HELP those less fortunate, not laugh at them.

And finally I think I might want to do academic medicine, so 10 years from now, a Mensa hater like me could be on an adcom somewhere.
 
t33sg1rl said:
I know a guy in Mensa and we talk smack about him all the time...

"If Jim (name changed to protect innocent) is so smart, why is he 70 pounds overweight? You'd think being in Mensa he'd be able to count calories..."
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In House of God, Fats was the brightest guy in the place 😀
 
Ha--has anyone here read The Know-it-All by AJ Jacobs? The author joins and actually attends a Mensa convention...and it's not all that pretty. (Also, he joined in 2003 or something, and even then you could still get in based on a 1200+ SAT alone.)

Personally, even if I were a member of Mensa, I wouldn't list it just to avoid the mere chance that my app reader or interviewer has read that book. 🙂

(It's a really funny, entertaining book, btw....I'd highly recommend it.)
 
Alright, Mensa is a no, but what about a triple 9 society? (Such as triple 9, or International Society for Philosophical Inquiry)? Both are considerably more tough to gain entrance to than Mensa.
 
danierrr said:
One pediatric anesthetist at BCM was pretty irked by it, but that could've been because he and I didn't seem to get along very well, and not because of the Mensa involvement.
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Ha! I know exactly who you are talking about. I don't think he got along with anybody. He seemed like a jackass.
 
SupernovaNights said:
Alright, Mensa is a no, but what about a tripple 9 society? (Such as tripple 9, or International Society for Philosophical Inquiry)? Both are considerably more tough to gain entrance to than Mensa.
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Oh god. . .temptation too great. . .can't help myself. . .

Triple has one p. 😳

That said, no. t33sg1rl raised what is probably the most salient point in this whole discussion: it does not matter if you are astoundingly brilliant if you have no achievements to back it up. If you're that smart, you should have a stellar GPA, a phenomenal MCAT, amazing extracurrics, letters of rec that reflect how much you've accomplished, and you should be fascinating to interview. If you're tooting your own horn about your IQ and have only a mediocre amount to show for it, what am I going to think? Even if you've got a lot to show for it, I'm going to think you're a bit full of yourself. Especially since I know you have to actively seek out membership in these groups!

Let your intelligence and accomplishments speak for themselves!
 
Lol at people paying to be in an intelligence society.:laugh:
 
evade said:
Oh god. . .temptation too great. . .can't help myself. . .

Triple has one p. 😳

That said, no. t33sg1rl raised what is probably the most salient point in this whole discussion: it does not matter if you are astoundingly brilliant if you have no achievements to back it up. If you're that smart, you should have a stellar GPA, a phenomenal MCAT, amazing extracurrics, letters of rec that reflect how much you've accomplished, and you should be fascinating to interview. If you're tooting your own horn about your IQ and have only a mediocre amount to show for it, what am I going to think? Even if you've got a lot to show for it, I'm going to think you're a bit full of yourself. Especially since I know you have to actively seek out membership in these groups!

Let your intelligence and accomplishments speak for themselves!
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Still, given that an applicant has all of the above, some of these societies are actually quite active. I don't particularly like Mensa, but there are other societies out there that are more selective, have lower (or in many cases, NO member fees), and do something for society. Most of the time, these member fees are to pay for the publications that go to all of their members.

Oh, and lastly.. just goes to show you I sure as hell didn't get in because of my ability to spell, heh.
 
Definitely mention whatever offices you hold in various facebook groups too.
 
jlq3d3 said:
I have been a member for about 6 years now and was wondering if putting it on my app would help it or not.
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If you believe that your membership in MENSA is a defining means of your character and growth as a person both academically and professionally, then include it in your application to medical school. It's a legitimate activity and something that is of importance to you or else you would not have paid the fees to remain a member or participated in their activities (much the same as any other club/interest group).

A caveat though to consider. If you application is not extremely competitive in terms of grades, MCAT score, LORs, personal statement and extracurricular activities, your membership in MENSA might label you as a persistent "underachiever". Since membership in this organization is based on scores on IQ tests, you would be expected to achieve at a higher level than the rest of the population with "normal" IQs (whatever that is?).

If your application IS extremely competitive in terms of grades, MCAT score, LORs, personal statement and extracurricular activities, then someone looking at your application with your mention of being a member of MENSA, might be tempted to say, "Well, you would expect a MENSA member to have a good application" and not see you as an outstanding applicant but average among those who are MENSA members.

In short, put anything in your application that make you stand out and shows what makes you an excellent candidate for medical school. If MENSA is part of that process, by all means include it.
 
corbis11 said:
what about nambla?:biglove:
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Definitely mention that one. It's a little-known secret that putting that on your application will fast-track you into pediatrics. 😉

Just make sure that it's the right nambla. They don't want any Marlon Brando look-a-likes taking away spots from destined pediatricians.
 
The thing that I always found funny is that "mensa" means "stupid girl" in Spanish. You'd think a bunch of geniuses could've researched that a little before coming up with the name.
 
gotmeds? said:
The thing that I always found funny is that "mensa" means "stupid girl" in Spanish. You'd think a bunch of geniuses could've researched that a little before coming up with the name.
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It also means "table," in Latin, I believe.
 
MENSA - used to reduce hemorrhagic cystitis by cyclophosphamide. Oops, MESNA.
 
I once was part of a committee interviewing people for a job.

On his resume, he listed his tested IQ score.

As we were re-reviewing his file before he came in, *everyone* commented upon his including that. Not in a positive way.
 
danierrr said:
Don't bother; it didn't help me with my applications any, and I was told by LizzyM that most if not all medical students are Mensan material anyway, if they would just take an IQ test.
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I am hereby issuing the decree of shenanigans on the use of the term "Mensan." Such suggests that Mensans are a unique subset of the human population like Aryans or something.

Gotta agree with LizzyM on this one. Becoming a Mensa member is like sending the $15 in with the application on the back side of the comic book to become a certified psychic.
 
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