I’ve always wanted to join Mensa, just to be able to put it on my resume. It’s on my list of things to do. Since the mensa.org site is woefully short on information, IMHO, I thought I’d post here with some questions about the organization. After all, with all the smart-alecks on this board, at least a few of you should be Mensans. Here goes…
Do Mensans do anything as an organization (other than showing off their high IQs and such)? Are there charity events, activities or conventions or anything like that?
Can I qualify for membership with my existing SAT scores? I scored a 1420 back in high school. I think I took the test in 1989, which is before the recalibration of the scoring.
What does one have to do in order to retain membership once it is granted? Or is this a membership for life thing?
Yes, there are usually lots of little get-togethers and so forth. Mensa in KC, just like most organizations, seemed very cliquish to me, and it was the one reason I left.
Just pay the annual fee. If you let the fee lapse, you merely have to start paying again to join if you were a past member.
I joined for a year when I was having an identity crisis in college. I went to a local meeting and was freaked out to find one of my high school guidance counselors and my former best friend’s mother there. I had always found these two women a little intimidating and was uncomfortable the whole evening. Thank God I got over that little crisis – although, like Thespos, I’ve been thinking about joining again for the resume bennies. And also because I broke my cool Mensa keyring and want to order another one. Pretty good reasons, eh?
I’ve never joined mensa, mainly b/c it always seemed like there were a lot of snobs and ostentates. However, if I don’t have to go to the meetings but just pay the annual fee, how big is the boost on resumes and college apps?
I joined and went to a few meetings years ago. I don’t recall meeting anybody snobish or ostentatious. But neither did I meet anyone especially interesting. I think Mensa is for bright underachievers who want to interact with people more intellectual than their workplace colleagues. Bright overachievers probably get all the intellectual stimulation they need on the job.
I would never think of putting Mensa membership on my resume. The upside is minimal, all if proves is that you are good at taking IQ tests (not a highly marketable skill, alas) and can pay dues. The downside is that some people react very negatively to a claim of Mensa membership, they think Mensans are ostentatious snobs who aren’t good at anything but taking tests.
I joined Mensa a few years ago after taking the test on a lark. I personally didn’t find it terribly thrilling although I didn’t try too hard either. In the Chicago area at least, they meet on a pretty regular basis and get together for a variety of things that seem quite enjoyable such as wine tastings, going to arthouse theatres, museums, etc. There’s also independant subgroups you can join that aren’t a bona fide part of Mensa, but hold only Mensa members. These include everything from chocolate lovers to role players to science geeks to brewers and everything else. I believe they sent me a multi-page booklet listing them all and there was probably four or five of them I could have joined. Unfortunately, most of the meetings and fun stuff happened in the north suburbs which was a bit of a drive for me for a two hour event or else in the city. Also, my work schedule conflicted with much of it. So, after the year was up, I let my membership lapse. I might rejoin someday, but it’s not high on my list of priorities.
Speaking as someone who is, perhaps, just to dumb to be a Mensan, but who has interviewed prospective job-seekers on numerous occasions: I would ignore Mensa membership on a resumé.
I want to hire bright people who fit in. I feel I can detect the correct level of brightness in an interview and I don’t believe that Mensa membership says anything about one’s ability to fit in.
I would never penalize anyone for Mensan membership, but I would not give them an edge.
(On the other hand, I am not overwhelmed by the quality of the interviewing skills of most HR types or managers, so I could be in a minority. I really don’t know whether the appearance of brains would offset the appearance of snobbery (or if interviewers, generally, would see Mensan membership as snobbish).