I discovered I qualify based on 20 yr old SAT scores. Apparently, subsequent deterioration doesn’t count.
But they’re NOT political, and went I asked about activities (in Wisconson) I was told there was an occasional video festival at some member’s home.
Frankly, it don’t seem worth $50 a year. Anybody have anything to say about Mensa.
I was going to pass off the atrocious grammar, spelling and puntuation in the first post as “slumming”.
But it’s no use, I’m simply a lazy underachiever.
I don’t have much to offer other than that I’m pretty much in the same boat as you. I qualify, but most of the members pretty much seem like weirdos and they don’t really do anything. It doesn’t really seem worth the money.
Some years ago my brother, father and I all joined. I went to a couple of meetings with my brother but they weren’t especially interesting (and I’m not a particularly social person) and I don’t think either of us went to another. My father took more interest and we attended some kind of short convention (meeting, retreat, conference, jamboree, whatever) which was more interesting but again, it wasn’t really my thing. I think my father found it more interesting but I don’t think he attended another one.
As I recall, the people tend to be perfectly nice but on little on the geeky and underachieving side. Who wants to seek out geeky underachievers? I think meetings based on mutual interests (e.g., birds, civil liberties, quilts, etc.) are more likely to be interesting.
I’ve been in Mensa for two years. I have mixed feelings about the group, and I’m still trying to figure it out, but generally, I think I like it. It is just a social club - sometimes it looks like a Rotary Club, other times like a frat house party.
I qualified by accident, taking the GRE for graduate school, and finding out they’d take me. I joined as a way to socialize with some folks outside of my usual circles. It’s interesting to find out about everybody’s hobbies. Our local club’s events usually center around eating and drinking. Regional gatherings are a little more orgainzed, and if you like to travel, you can make the gatherings part of that.
In my area, there’s a few too many rocket scientists (literally), but we also have farmers, photographers, small businesspeople. No doctors or lawyers that I’ve meet though (hmm, wonder why that is?).
I was able to join Mensa at the age of 16 based on an IQ test that I was given in school. I went to a couple of events and got the newsletter for the two years that I was a member. Based solely on the events I attended and the writing in the newsletter, I concluded that this was an insufferable bunch of people and didn’t renew my membership. What a stupid reason for a club.
Haj
Former Wisconsin Mensan checking in . . .
I joined during an identity crisis in college, and found that it wasn’t really worth the dues. Also, I freaked out a bit at the first and only meeting I attended, only to find that my high school guidance counselor and my former best friend’s mother were both members. It was just too weird for l’il ol’ insecure me.
Fortunately, I’ve since found a social group that I’m very comfortable with, and don’t feel the need to be a “joiner” anymore. Thank God. Now I’m just smart on my own time.
My GRE scores qualified me and I joined for year but never went to any meetings as I was pretty far away from where they were being held.
I joined when I found out I had an old test score lying around that would get me in, but it hasn’t been convenient to get to any of the meetings. The newletters make the organization seem unattractive to me, anyway, with their uncritical, unmoderated approach to the topics they take up. Before I give up on them, I’ll probably try to check out some of the Special Interest Groups in the hope of finding some sensible Mensans.
For intelligent conversation, though, SDMB is the place to be.
General Questions is for questions with factual answers. IMHO is for opinions and polls.
I’ll move this to IMHO.
Please read the forum descriptions.
DrMatrix - General Questions Moderator
I’d love to hook up with Mensa, just - well, for the same reason Geena Davis did. Just 'cause. I’ve never really bothered, though - it’s not that important to me, though, based on IQ tests from high school, I’d probably make it in without a problem. Criminey - I’ve never even bothered to find out how to do it. Mebbe if 'twere not so much a bother, I would.
But, I must admit - my hubby’s smarter than I am, and we’re both on the borderline - me a point or two below, he a point or two above, and he’s more math-oriented than I am. What if we both took the test as a result of my research, and… HE GOT IN AND I DIDN’T!?
Horrors!
:mad:
Mensa, shmensa. If you want to find reasonably intelligent people, you can hang out on this message board.
Plus, as a side benefit, there’s a lot more cursing.
You obviously haven’t been to the Mensa events I have.
I’ve been a member for about four years now (I’m the token dumb guy). During that time I’ve been to exactly ONE event, their annual games evaluation for Mensa seal of approval. I love board games, and it happened to be held in Atlanta that year, so I went.
I had a very good time after the ice was eventually broken (sitting awkwardly in the corner until someone finally needed a 4th for their game). While a great many of the people seemed very nice, they had their share of the ‘socially retarded’ as well.
I actually would not mind attending future gatherings since, from what I recall, the people that attended from Atlanta were reasonably functional (the socially retarded must have flown in from other cities, but there really were not too many of them in case another attendee is reading this). The only thing that holds me back is that most of their gatherings are further in the city or scattered around various parts of Atlanta too far from my humble little abode in Alpharetta.
I’ve been a member of Mensa since 1995. I got in on my old SAT scores, too! (quite honestly, I’m afraid that if I had to actually take the entrance exam, I might not pass it!)
I think the answer to your question depends on your area and what kind of activities and members they have.
Here in San Diego, I went to a few activities a couple of years ago. I had just broken up with a boyfriend, and thought it might be a good way to get out and meet people and have something to do on the weekends. Most everyone at the few events I went to were significantly older than I was - probably by 20 years or so. I had fun while I was there, but didn’t feel the need to really seek them out all that often.
Right now I’m pretty much an inactive member. I flip through both the National and Local newsletters, not necessarily reading all that much. I notice that some members are really hung up on the fact that they’re Mensans. They mention thinks like “as a Mensan…” that I would never do in conversation.
I don’t mind paying the dues, and I pretty much keep it up just because I can. But I hardly ever tell anyone that I’m a member. It just seems braggy to me, so I tend not to mention it, unless for some reason it’s relevant.
So if it sounds like your local group doesn’t do too much, or if you meet them and think they’re total tools, I’d say it wouldn’t be worth the dough. YMMV.
You’ll notice that membership in Mensa does not require one to proofread. :rolleyes:
thinks = things
And here I was trying to be as eloquent as possible so y’all wouldn’t think I was a dumbo. 
Unfortunately, I am a mensan every 28 days.
:d & r:
I took a test in Reader’s Digest back when I was in high school that led me to contact the local Mensa chapter and take a proctored test. The score was high enough to let me in, but the people at meetings were so ancient and boring to my 16-year-old eyes that I let my membership lapse.
I rejoined when I moved to DC and attended a few Friday night gatherings at Zorba’s Cafe in Dupont Circle, but I discovered that high IQ scores do not guarantee emotional maturity or agreeable companionship. I have found that Dopers provide the intelligent conversation and common interests that Mensa was supposed to give–and I don’t have to shell out $45 dollars a year to hang out with you lot!
You can add me to the list of people who joined for a year to try it out. I never made it to any of the local meetings because I already had a social network of friends. I did go to one gathering that was OK except that I had theflu for part of it.
My general feeling was that I wasn’t getting anything out of it except being able to brag about being a member - and its cooler to say you were a member. Let them think you were kicked out for unspeakable acts or something.
I must say that I am impressed by the number of people who tried and found it lacking who are now here on the boards. Maybe we should run ads in the Mensa magazine. 
I went to a MENSA meeting. It was really weird. We all sat around in a circle and beat on drums, and then we did a book discussion on some book called “Iron John.” Then, to my amazement, guys started crying and taking about their fathers, and some guy read a poem about hunting and how modern sciety stopped us from being males, or some goddamn thing, and…
… oh, darn, I’m sorry. Here’s the flyer… It was a 'Men’s Meeting." Excuse me.