# is anyone here a member of Mensa... or have higher education ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 22, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819 "2006-05-22T21:14:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/1 "2006-05-22T21:14:33Z")
or both I have the impression that the level here on the Straight Dope is pretty high ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/2 "2006-05-22T21:22:35Z")
I have been a member of Mensa since 1977. Bet there are quite a few other Ms here. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/3 "2006-05-22T21:33:26Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > I have been a member of Mensa since 1977. Bet there are quite a few other Ms here. I’ve heard that only 2% of the world population have high enough IQ to be a member, and that their IQ must be over 140-150? Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/4 "2006-05-22T21:45:03Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > I’ve heard that only 2% of the world population have high enough IQ to be a member, and that their IQ must be over 140-150? > > Is this correct? It’s true that only those who score in the top 2% on intelligence tests may join, but saying “their IQ must be over 140-150” is a rather meaningless statement unless one is specifying which test. You’ll find some general info about Mensa [here](http://www.mensa.org/index0.php?page=10). If you have any questions, I’ll be glad to try to answer them in an unofficial capacity. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/5 "2006-05-22T21:45:47Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > I’ve heard that only 2% of the world population have high enough IQ to be a member, and that their IQ must be over 140-150? > > Is this correct? Upper 2% on any standardized IQ test. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensa\_International#Background\_information](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensa_International#Background_information) I’m a member. Well, lapsed – I need to renew. And I have three graduate degrees, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/6 "2006-05-22T21:50:01Z")
By definition the rule is you have to be in the top 2 percent, regardless of the particular test. It’s more like an IQ of 132. I’m not a member but I’d qualify and I think many Dopers with more eloquent, thoughtful posts than myself would. There are a lot of people in the top 2%, a large portion of college graduates. (Which I also am not.) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/7 "2006-05-22T21:51:16Z")
I tested into Mensa when I was sixteen. I quit after two years. I have a masters degree in mechanical engineering. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/8 "2006-05-22T21:54:27Z")
I am also not a member, but I do qualify. Just too lazy to join. I’ve got five years of full-time college under my belt, but not in the correct porportions for a degree. (Three years of it is from a very challenging, but very not accredited school.) :smack: Well, not entirely true. I have an Associate Arts degree, but that hardly counts nowadays, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/9 "2006-05-22T21:55:47Z")
Don’t let Mensa membership, or even TOPS membership, intimidate you. Hell, don’t even let it impress you. Qualification for those vanity clubs doesn’t mean a person is particularly wise, nice, has relevant knowledge or is an especially reasonable person. Let me assure you, based on my own qualification from college admissions tests, it means nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/10 "2006-05-22T22:01:44Z")
I have an unfinished bachelor “degree” (about 25%) and i’m not sure if i will return to collage I am what some will call a C-student 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/11 "2006-05-22T22:04:27Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > Don’t let Mensa membership, or even TOPS membership, intimidate you. Hell, don’t even let it impress you. Qualification for those vanity clubs doesn’t mean a person is particularly wise, nice, has relevant knowledge or is an especially reasonable person. Let me assure you, based on my own qualification from college admissions tests, it means nothing. I’ve got to agree with that assessment. I love Mensa, but in the end it’s really a granfalloon, not a karass. Scoring at a certain level on a test doesn’t necessarily mean that you are anything in particular (except a good test-taker). Some of the densest, least interesting people I’ve met have been Mensa members. On the other hand, some of the brightest, wittiest people I’ve ever met have also been Mensa members. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/12 "2006-05-22T22:04:55Z")
My wife looked into joining a local MENSA group, but was immediately put off by their booklet. It was full of spelling and grammar errors, the pages were collated out of order, and the articles were little more than the daily diary of the otherwise vapid woman who wrote them. Her verdict was that it’s OK to be smart. You don’t have to join a club to prove it. (She has two degrees.) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/13 "2006-05-22T22:13:17Z")
Not a member, but I qualify. I have always wondered, though: what happens at Mensa meetings? Do they sit around and revel in their intelligence, or what? ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/14 "2006-05-22T22:15:21Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > I’ve got to agree with that assessment. I love Mensa, but in the end it’s really a granfalloon, not a karass. Scoring at a certain level on a test doesn’t necessarily mean that you are anything in particular (except a good test-taker). Some of the densest, least interesting people I’ve met have been Mensa members. On the other hand, some of the brightest, wittiest people I’ve ever met have also been Mensa members. my impression (from TV etc) is that mensa-people are very good at logic thinking, but not necessarily people with enormous amount of knowledge. But I guess that having an IQ over 140 makes learning much easier and “fun” then for those with an awerage IQ ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/15 "2006-05-22T22:21:54Z")
the only fameous people that I know is a member of mensa is actor James Woods and porn-star Asia Carrera 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/16 "2006-05-22T22:26:48Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Not a member, but I qualify. I have always wondered, though: what happens at Mensa meetings? Do they sit around and revel in their intelligence, or what? As a matter of fact, Mensans rarely discuss their own intelligence. It’s a given that everyone in attendance passed the test, so there’s nothing there to talk about. We talk about life, sports, science, sex, art, movies, work, the same things everybody else talks about. It would be like asking “What do folks on The Straight Dope Message Boards talk about.” The great thing for me is the wide variety of people. I’ve met every kind of person from Artist to Zoologist. And yes, there is a proportion of Mensans that are jerks and that I choose to not spend any time with at all. There are also some extraordinarily wonderful ones, among whom I’ve found my best friends. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/17 "2006-05-22T22:28:49Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > the only fameous people that I know is a member of mensa is actor James Woods and porn-star Asia Carrera 😃 Also Geena Davis. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/18 "2006-05-22T22:31:45Z")
And of course Isaac Asimov was a member, too. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/19 "2006-05-22T22:35:18Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > I have the impression that the level here on the Straight Dope is pretty high We look for things. Things to make us go. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819/20 "2006-05-22T22:38:33Z")
I have a Master’s in astronomy. I don’t feel very smart, though, because most of my friends have Ph.D’s in some field or other, and I don’t have a Ph.D ☹ Probably won’t get one, either- my tolerance for the hoops you have to jump through in grad school is about used up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-a-member-of-mensa-or-have-higher-education/357819.md?page=2)