any benefits to mensa?

[arsoisaen]

not a brag, but im pretty sure i can pass a mensa test. pretty sure at least 25% of OOT can too (they claim 2% of general population)

test costs 40 bucks.

i was wondering are there any benefits to joining this? such as bumping up your resume, networking? im not very interested in hanging out with the actual group, just seeing if this will help in any way in the future.

[pa3lsvt]

Zilch, unless you like hanging with supernerds. I checked it out a few years back. FWIW, if you have SAT/ACT/GRE/GMAT scores that are high enough you don't have to take their test.

[gobbomom]

it can help with resume stuff in some cases, and they offer some weenie benefits like group car ins., some scholarships. You have to pay every year to keep your membership.

[Warik]

I took the test just to see if I could do it. Only benefits I got were 8% discount on GEICO insurance and discounts when renting cars through Alamo.

I'm not insured with GEICO anymore, I never rent cars, and I have no intention of hanging out with any of the group, so I am no longer a member.

[Alobar]

I dunno if I could past the test, but after the last mensa thread where everyone posted pics of members, I really don't ever want to try.

[Blarg]

I think this could scare off as many employers as it could help win over. How many of your employers do you think will be as smart as or smarter than you are? How comfortable do you feel they would be with a guy who might come on board and immediately look better than they do, and possibly wind up taking their job? I would anticipate efforts to make you look stupid or incompetent, or deride you verbally, from most bosses who eventually hire you. This is something that can be held against you pretty harshly.

[KMac4]

[ QUOTE ]
I dunno if I could past the test, but after the last mensa thread where everyone posted pics of members, I really don't ever want to try.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm guessing not.

[blackize]

[ QUOTE ]
I think this could scare off as many employers as it could help win over. How many of your employers do you think will be as smart as or smarter than you are? How comfortable do you feel they would be with a guy who might come on board and immediately look better than they do, and possibly wind up taking their job? I would anticipate efforts to make you look stupid or incompetent, or deride you verbally, from most bosses who eventually hire you. This is something that can be held against you pretty harshly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep. OP had one good thought though. Mensa is definitely good for networking, but you actually have to go to the local meetings to take advantage of it.

[Cornell Fiji]

[ QUOTE ]
Zilch, unless you like hanging with supernerds. I checked it out a few years back. FWIW, if you have SAT/ACT/GRE/GMAT scores that are high enough you don't have to take their test.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just checked it out, they don't accept PSAT, SAT, GRE, ACT if they were taken recently. LINK

There is a link for 'benefits' HERE. Pretty much if you utilize any of those benefits (discounts on insurance/hotels, preferred rates from BoA, etc) then the membership fee pays for itself. In addition if having MENSA on your resume helps you get one resume looked at by one prospective employer then the membership fee also pays for itself.

[suzzer99]

If there were somehow a gathering of smart people--minus the subset of smart people who would actually join a group dedicated to smart people--I would be part of that. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]