Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site gatech.CSNET Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gatech!spaf From: spaf@gatech.CSNET (Gene Spafford) Newsgroups: net.singles,net.social Subject: Re: Intelligence (and Mensa) Message-ID: <275@gatech.CSNET> Date: Tue, 11-Jun-85 00:45:01 EDT Article-I.D.: gatech.275 Posted: Tue Jun 11 00:45:01 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 12-Jun-85 01:42:16 EDT References: <253@unc.UUCP> <270@looking.UUCP> <371@h-sc1.UUCP> <2763@nsc.UUCP> <1209@cbosgd.UUCP> <839@daemon.UUCP> <227@gatech.CSNET> Organization: The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech Lines: 139 Xref: watmath net.singles:7244 net.social:642 I have gotten (so far) 14 pieces of mail asking for more information about Mensa, or asking me about how and why I joined. That's a pretty heavy response for one of my postings, and I expect more will come in the mail over the next few days. So, I figured I might as well post this here for everyone's amusement and/or edification. Why/when I joined: I almost joined when I was about 11. Our 6th grade class had just taken some battery of apptitude and intelligence tests because our school was being tracked as part of a state education study. The psychologist in charge of the tests told me about Mensa because, he claimed, they couldn't even score me on the test. Since I was the usual 4-eyed fat kid who wasn't overly popular unless someone needed help with homework, I thought it might be a good idea to investigate a potential source of intellectually stimulating peers. Or something like that. So I checked it out. (Note: there is no real age limit for joining Mensa. Current US Mensa members range from 4 to 94.) The group local to where I lived was composed mostly of snobs, it seems. They were all in their 30's and 40's and really didn't like the idea of a "little kid" joining them. I took the hint and didn't bother to join. (Many groups, especially some of the smaller ones, tend to "inbreed" and develop a cliquish, snobbish attitude. It isn't encouraged nor part of the Mensa philosophy, but that sometimes happens in a group of strong-willed people. Look at some of the net groups!) I came to Georgia Tech about 5 years ago to get my MS and PhD in Computer Science (as an aside, the "3 months and holding" is a reference to the expected amount of time until I defend the thesis; it was supposed to be September, but now appears to be November). About 3 years ago, a very cherished romance broke up rather suddenly (as many long-time net.singles readers may remember). I was lied to, cheated on, and generally trampled under foot, and it devastated me. I really had second thoughts about continuing on for my degree...the social atmosphere at school suddenly became stifling. Not because of any of the people here, but because everyone had the same interests and saw each other all the time. I felt I needed something different to help me make it through. One of my advisors here was, at that time, the LocSec (Local Secretary) of the Atlanta chapter of Mensa, and he suggested I join Mensa as a way of meeting some amusing people with interests in different fields. I did. He was right. Things got much better (for various reasons -- not just Mensa), and I enjoyed the people and the meetings. I also found True Romance. (Interestingly enough, he also found True Romance through the local group. His wife joined while he was the LocSec.) How my fiancee joined: 3 years ago, Kathy was just recently divorced, and not too positive on herself at the time. She was working in what seemed to be a menial dead-end job despite talent out the wazoo (and elsewhere!). She had worked hard for her degree, but there wasn't a demand market for English Lit majors right then (or now), and she really wondered if it was all worth it. She was lonely but she's not the type to hang out at nightspots, and she didn't read net.singles so she would know where else to go to meet nice guys {:-)}. Her sister-in-law-to-be was a Mensa member and suggested Kathy join. So, Kathy took the test as a sort of a lark, and went to a few meetings. She met some nice people (in fact, I was the 3rd person she met at Mensa; she went out with #2 for 3 months before we started dating), liked it and stayed. Things have vastly improved for her too. If you want to join Mensa: National Mensa organizations exist in at least 15 countries around the world, and there are Mensans in at least 98 countries. Below I will put the address and phone number of the national headquarters of the US and Canadian Mensa groups. I may also include some of the Mensa addresses for some of the other groups, if I can find them. You should write to your national group for specific information. If you can't find your country in the list, write to one of the ones on the list and they'll be able to direct you. The info below is based on my knowledge of the US group -- the groups in other countries are probably similar, but not identical. Let me suggest that if you're interested, ask for the name and phone number of the local LocSec so you can arrange to visit a few meetings of the local group, if there is one, and see what the group local to you is like. Some groups are lots of fun, and some are real drags. Some groups consist of friendly sociable people who are a joy to see, and others prefer to just sit around and brag about how smart they think they are. Even if the local group isn't too interesting, you might want to join the national group because of the publications and national meetings. Membership is open to anyone showing a qualifying test score and paying the membership fee. The yearly US fee is $30, which is waivable if someone can't afford it. There is *no* other qualification to joining. Ages of members range (currently) from 4 to 94. Mensa espouses no political, religious, racial, or economic actions or theories. In lieu of the standard Mensa exam, evidence of the following test scores will gain you admission (there are many others -- write to find out what they are): S.A.T. combined score better than 1300, prior to 9/77 combined score better than 1250, after 9/77 G.R.E combined score better than 1250 LSAT better than 662 ACT composite better than 29 Standford Binet, form L-M 132 or better and so on. I submitted a notarized xerox copy of my GRE scores and that was accepted. If you don't have any qualifying test then Mensa (in the US, at least) will administer one to you in two stages: 1) you take an at-home exam for $8 which indicates whether you probably qualify for admission. Parts of this exam often show up in magazines like Reader's Digest and seem simple -- often they are. The idea is to exclude about 60% of the population right off, but not exclude anyone who might do well on the real test. 2) The second test is $15 and proctored. This is a lengthier and more difficult test which is considered to be a certified IQ test. Let me know if any of you have other questions and I'll try to answer them. American Mensa, Ltd. Mensa Canada 1701 West 3rd St. POB 505 Brooklyn, NY 11223 Station S (718) 376-1925 Toronto, ONT M5M 4L8 (416) 497-7070 U.K. call Mensa office in Wolverhampton, (0902) 26055 up to 1600 West Germany Kiel (0431) 52 12 69 (H) Udo Shultz I also have about 8 numbers for Australia, depending on the city, and Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, and South Korea. Write me if you want one of those -- specify your city, please, as some have multiple contacts. -- Gene "3 months and holding" Spafford The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332 CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,linus,seismo,ulysses}!gatech!spaf