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Sophist
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05 Feb 2006, 2:23 pm

Since I've had a recent IQ test, I could submit that to Mensa without having to be retested. I don't feel incredibly compelled to join it except for that it looks good in applications. Also, aren't their scholarships available for college for those in Mensa?

If I can get something out of it for college, why shouldn't I join, inaccuracy of Intelligence Tests aside?


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Aspen
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05 Feb 2006, 5:33 pm

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If I can get something out of it for college, why shouldn't I join, inaccuracy of Intelligence Tests aside?


Good point. There are a few MENSA scholarships available. Have you already taken the PSAT/NMSQT? If so, how did you do on it? You might qualify for a National Merit Scholarship based on that. That would look good on applications as well.



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05 Feb 2006, 6:24 pm

Aspen wrote:
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If I can get something out of it for college, why shouldn't I join, inaccuracy of Intelligence Tests aside?


Good point. There are a few MENSA scholarships available. Have you already taken the PSAT/NMSQT? If so, how did you do on it? You might qualify for a National Merit Scholarship based on that. That would look good on applications as well.


Well, I'm already in college, junior year, and the PSAT feels like AGES ago (it's been at least 7 years since I took the last one) and I never ended up taking the SATs or ACTs. I will be taking my GREs in about two years.

As for my PSATs, I barely remember. I know I did well. But with math and verbal/Enligsh, the first year I performed very well on math and above average on verbal and then the next year it switched and I performed really well on the verbal/English side and above average for the math. I think I got (I just remember the percentages) something like 93% on math and then 84% on verbal/English, and then almost the exact reverse my junior year. But I really don't remember if those come in percentages or not or whether there were other numbers I had which were being represented by the percentages. I don't remember it very well at all except the percentages and the switch I did in scores those two different years. I remember I did poorly (well, average) on the science part because I was so distracted by the huge testing room and all the little noises that I couldn't get through the paragraphs to come to the critical thinking part of it. I'm horrible at reading with environmental distractions present. And of course that coupled with the bane of "limited time".

That's about all I can remember of the PSATs.


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05 Feb 2006, 10:44 pm

I think mensa is bad social exposure for someone as sensative as me. I may have just witnessed the bad parts of mensa but they seem rather arrogant and petty and spiteful on average. I'd like to join a society of people who glorify the love of knowledge and wisdom, kind of like the dead poets society for all areas of academia.

I would love to sit around with a bunch of people and one guy says, "Hey guys! Nature can be observed to roughly repeat itself on many levels from the submicroscopic to the scale of the entire universe. Isn't that spiffy!!?" And everybody else says, "Yeah! That is spiffy!" And then someone else says something about that, and everybody goes, "Yeah that's neat too!" And then someone says something about something and some of the members go, "I didn't know that, can you explain that to me?" And then the guy kindly and happily explains it without being disgusted of the ignorence of the other, rather fascinated by their curiosity and compassionate towards the joy of learning. And then everybody goes "Oooo! That's neat!" When he is done explaining it. And people try not to point out minor and petty corrections. (I reason that if this kind of discussion goes on long enough the areas will be covered enough times so that people can say, "Well i heard it was like this." And then there will be civil discussion on which one is more likely, and peoples ignorence wont be glorified, they'll just be overjoyed to hear a new perspective on an idea.)

Wouldn't that be f****n' spiffy?


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06 Feb 2006, 2:16 am

Nomaken wrote:
I may have just witnessed the bad parts of mensa but they seem rather arrogant and petty and spiteful on average.

I would love to sit around with a bunch of people and... And then there will be civil discussion...
Wouldn't that be f***' spiffy?


I'd love to be able to reassure you from my own (limited) experience, but I can't. Moments such as you describe, indeed, but far too much "top dogging" and pursuit of vendettas, and of status within the official hierarchy (however petty). That latter in particular has welled up in whatever society or committee I have ever been involved in. Always a few playing power games, rather than actually there to promote the function of the organisation or group.

Two atoms in a pub:
"Bother! I've just lost an electron."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."



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06 Feb 2006, 2:59 am

Two atoms in a pub:
"Bother! I've just lost an electron."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."

"Chill, dude, take an e."



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06 Feb 2006, 9:02 am

CuriousPrimate wrote:
Two atoms in a pub:
"Bother! I've just lost an electron."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."

"Chill, dude, take an e."


Hahahahahahaha! I like that. :lol:

As for Mensa, I don't think I'd ever do anything socially with them. Who wants to hang around with a bunch of smart people trying to be smarter than each other? :roll: But it would be good to be a member in name to be able to put it on applications and possibly get some scholarships.


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06 Feb 2006, 11:11 am

I can hardly spell "it". I fit more the Spanish definition of mensa (and have been told repeatedly). 8>

earplugsaremylifeline wrote:
Hi -
Was just wondering if anyone was in mensa (or wanted to admit to it).
I'm thinking about doing the test, as it seems like an interesting thing to do, and offers possible social opportunities. Wondering though they're probably mainly NT, perhaps there'd be an overrepresentation of spectrum people there?
Thanks!
earplugs



Aspen
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06 Feb 2006, 12:38 pm

Sophist wrote:
As for Mensa, I don't think I'd ever do anything socially with them. Who wants to hang around with a bunch of smart people trying to be smarter than each other? :roll: But it would be good to be a member in name to be able to put it on applications and possibly get some scholarships.


Instead of assuming this about them without ever meeting them at all, you could attend a few meetings and see if this is really what the MENSA members are like where you live. To make assumptions like this about people you don't know might cause you to miss an opportunity to get to know some kindred spirits.

I attended some MENSA meetings and I don't think the members I met were trying to be smarter than one another. One thing most people on that tail of the bell curve understand is that there is almost always someone more intelligent than themselves.



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06 Feb 2006, 6:22 pm

Aspen wrote:
Sophist wrote:
As for Mensa, I don't think I'd ever do anything socially with them. Who wants to hang around with a bunch of smart people trying to be smarter than each other? :roll: But it would be good to be a member in name to be able to put it on applications and possibly get some scholarships.


Instead of assuming this about them without ever meeting them at all, you could attend a few meetings and see if this is really what the MENSA members are like where you live. To make assumptions like this about people you don't know might cause you to miss an opportunity to get to know some kindred spirits.

I attended some MENSA meetings and I don't think the members I met were trying to be smarter than one another. One thing most people on that tail of the bell curve understand is that there is almost always someone more intelligent than themselves.


Well, that was definitely a generalization I made. Perhaps my hesitation would be more because I don't handle competition very well. To be honest, being surrounded by a bunch of smart people would make me feel terribly average and common, and I don't think I'd like that feeling very much.

Though, as you said, it would at least be worthwhile to attend one meeting if I end up joining before I completely make my mind up. Maybe I wouldn't feel as uncomfortable as I'd imagine.


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TheGreyBadger
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06 Feb 2006, 7:48 pm

Nomaken wrote:
I think mensa is bad social exposure for someone as sensative as me. I may have just witnessed the bad parts of mensa but they seem rather arrogant and petty and spiteful on average. I'd like to join a society of people who glorify the love of knowledge and wisdom, kind of like the dead poets society for all areas of academia.

I would love to sit around with a bunch of people and one guy says, "Hey guys! Nature can be observed to roughly repeat itself on many levels from the submicroscopic to the scale of the entire universe. Isn't that spiffy!!?" And everybody else says, "Yeah! That is spiffy!" And then someone else says something about that, and everybody goes, "Yeah that's neat too!" And then someone says something about something and some of the members go, "I didn't know that, can you explain that to me?" And then the guy kindly and happily explains it without being disgusted of the ignorence of the other, rather fascinated by their curiosity and compassionate towards the joy of learning. And then everybody goes "Oooo! That's neat!" When he is done explaining it. And people try not to point out minor and petty corrections. (I reason that if this kind of discussion goes on long enough the areas will be covered enough times so that people can say, "Well i heard it was like this." And then there will be civil discussion on which one is more likely, and peoples ignorence wont be glorified, they'll just be overjoyed to hear a new perspective on an idea.)

Wouldn't that be f***' spiffy?


Our local sicence fiction clubs are like that.



Nomaken
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06 Feb 2006, 11:02 pm

Do they talk about non-fiction stuff too? Because I'd like to think going to a gathering of the glorification of knowledge that i'm going to learn something. (Fiction can teach lessons too and make you think, but i often prefer to learn non-fiction.)


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07 Feb 2006, 11:05 pm

MENSA? I remember puzzle books I saw in a library I liked when I was little. Other than that, I've had no exposure to MENSA.


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