Any members of Mensa out there doing Distance Learning

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by alexadeparis, Jun 20, 2003.

Loading...
  1. alexadeparis

    alexadeparis New Member

    Mark Israel mentioned on another thread that he was a member of Mensa. I am also a member and have been since I was 16, when I took the Mensa proctored exam and was told my IQ was 156. I am just curious as to whether there are a large number of Mensans (or members from other High IQ societies) on this board.

    I am also curious if anyone has had their IQ tested that is not currently a member of any high IQ organization, and if so what the score was.

    I have a personal theory that it takes someone that has a higher than average IQ to complete this kind of self paced education.
     
  2. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    I would only join Mensa if they would provide an oversize diploma with a gold seal on it.

    Had my IQ tested by a PhD student friend about 30 years ago and was exceedingly proud of my score. Then my wife-to-be took the test and beat me by one point. You think maybe I have heard about this once or twice in 30 years?
     
  3. Michael Lloyd

    Michael Lloyd New Member

    I used to be a member of Mensa, with a Stanford-Binet and Weschler IQ score of approximately 155-160. I have a BSc and MSc in chemistry from a bricks and mortar university (U of Washington) and earned a DL MBA from Heriot-Watt University and several insurance diplomas also earned via the DL route.

    Regards,

    Michael Lloyd
    Mill Creek, Washington, USA
     
  4. roysavia

    roysavia New Member

    I took an IQ test several years ago at the Behavioral Sciences Building at York University. My score was 151. After graduating with an M.A. in Sociology, I decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Windsor. My GMAT score was 712.

    Several years later I was offered a position with the federal government. I believe this was a bad move because my
    wife now thinks my IQ has now dropped to 70.:rolleyes:
     
  5. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Hispanics found the term Mensa funny because ironically it means something different. Some Hispanic office friends cracked up that people would brag about being in an organization called Mensa.

    North
     
  6. wfready

    wfready New Member

    Why do I have a funny feeling noone is going to post an IQ score lower than 150 on this thread? I don't know exactly what my IQ was when I was tested in elementary school. What I DO know it was no where near 155-160! They didn't want to put me in a class for slow children either, so I guess it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't WANT to get an IQ test right now because I would probably choke on the test and feel dumb for the rest of my life.

    I think your theory is wrong. What does learning through distance have to do with IQ? If you don't have the capacity to understand something, you may do bad in DL AND traditional programs. If anything, I think persistance and discipline would be factors in successfully completing a DL program. So, If any group of people would possibly do better, I would think members of the armed forces or the police force.

    Just my take on it,
    Bill
     
  7. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

    North wrote:

    > Hispanics found the term Mensa funny because ironically it
    > means something different. Some Hispanic office friends
    > cracked up that people would brag about being in an
    > organization called Mensa.


    Many people think "Mensa" is an acronym. (My father guessed "MENtally Superior Adults". Actually, children can join, too.)

    "[...] on November 1, 1946, Mensa was born with six members. Originally, Berrill wanted to call it Mens, the Latin word for 'mind' — but Ware pointed out the potential confusion with a magazine called Men Only. Berrill settled on Mensa, or 'table,' the first Latin word students learned in those days. It would denote a 'round table' society where all were equal; Berrill also liked the association that would be inevitable in many minds with the Latin tag mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body)."
    -- http://www.extremelysmart.com/mmessays/02j-mary.php

    In Spanish, mensa is the feminine form of menso = "stupid". There was a cartoon in a Mensa magazine showing a man wearing a Mensa hat being accosted by a Hispanic lady saying, "Listen, Señor, there's enough trouble in el mundo without you gay fools organizing yourselves."

    A similar Spanish word is tonto = "idiot". Whenever my wife calls herself tonta, I call myself "Lone Ranger".

    Spouses of Mensans who attend Mensa gatherings but are not themselves Mensans sometimes call themselves "Densa".
     
  8. Michael Lloyd

    Michael Lloyd New Member

    Urgent followup to my earlier posting! The MSN home page had a link to an online IQ test by Emode. I just took it and was shocked, shocked! to see my score has fallen to 145!

    My children are correct! I am getting stupider in my old age. Soon I will be fit for nothing but one of those degree mills with the rigourous entry requirements of writing a check.

    Regards,

    Michael Lloyd
    Mill Creek, Washington USA

    PS: In preparation for my rapid mental decline, I shall spend the weekend re-reading the classic science fiction novel 'Flowers for Algernon' and watching the movie made from the novel: 'Charly'. This will no doubt help me cope.
     
  9. Michael Lloyd

    Michael Lloyd New Member

    Urgent followup to my earlier posting! The MSN home page had a link to an online IQ test by Emode. I just took it and was shocked, shocked! to see my score has fallen to 145!

    My children are correct! I am getting stupider in my old age. Soon I will be fit for nothing but one of those degree mills with the rigourous entry requirements of writing a check.

    Regards,

    Michael Lloyd
    Mill Creek, Washington USA

    PS: In preparation for my rapid mental decline, I shall spend the weekend re-reading the classic science fiction novel 'Flowers for Algernon' and watching the movie made from the same 'Charly'. This will no doubt help me cope.
     
  10. alexadeparis

    alexadeparis New Member

    wfready:
    The reason that I hold this theory is that many intelligent people (at least all the ones I know) get bored in the traditional classroom setting because a lot of time is spent on explaining things to the lowest common denominator. We know that this is true of children, which is why they send gifted children to enriched classes or gifted schools. I personally know that I probably would not be as close to a degree as I am right now if I had to sit through evening classes with a roomful of Joe Six Packs as my classmates. It would be more like a torture environment, and would not be conducive to "higher learning". Yes, persistence and dedication go along with distance learning as well, obviously; but again, this is just something floating around in my head as a theory. That's why I am asking all of you what you think about it. I'm not saying that I am right or wrong, per se. I just love the exchange of ideas when I am leaning a certain way in my thinking to see if my logic is fuzzy or not.
     
  11. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    For the many years when I was selling Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning myself, of all the hundreds of places we advertised, the second best was Mensa Bulletin; many thousands of copies were sold to M's, suggesting a strong interest in this field.

    [The first best place we advertised: FAPA Journal. FAPA Journal? Gus? Gus? Are you there?]

    John Bear, the 2nd (or possibly
    3rd) person in the US to join
    Mensa; it was still a British-
    only organization in 1958)
     
  12. oxpecker

    oxpecker New Member

    The DL/Mensa connection is a win-win situation. The Mensa folks don't have to put up with the dullards in a face-to-face classroom. And the non-Mensa folks don't have to put up with the arrogant Mensa assholes. Ain't life great?
     
  13. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I haven't seen any evidence that DL students are any brighter than on-campus students. I also haven't seen any evidence that DL courses are conducted at a higher level.

    Perhaps I'm less intelligent than you, but I usually enjoyed my interactions with my classmates in on-campus classes. The other students were stimulating and often impressive. I think that it would be a serious mistake for someone like me to dismiss them.
     
  14. roysavia

    roysavia New Member

    Bill,
    Most of the people on this thread hold one or more degrees. To earn a degree one needs a certain amount of intelligence. Interpreting and analyzing academic data requires an above average I.Q. and not everyone has that ability.

    How many people do you know who have GPAs of 3.9 or have completed graduate statistics courses with a 99 or 100% average?

    regards,
     
  15. Gus Sainz

    Gus Sainz New Member

    OK, you got me. I've attended several FAPA conferences, but I must admit that my first exposure to Bears' Guide was indeed in the Mensa Bulletin. (I see no need, however, to resort to exposing such deep shameful secrets. :D)
     
  16. plcscott

    plcscott New Member

    IQ Test

    I just went to iqtest.com and took the test, and scored a 132. This is the first time I have ever taken an IQ test, but I guess that would make me well below most of you. What do have to score to be in this club?? :confused:
     
  17. plcscott

    plcscott New Member

    I just found another test site, and took it also. I scored a 121. If I keep taking test will I continue to lose intelligence??:D :D :D
     
  18. Tom57

    Tom57 Member

    Is there anyone else (besides me) that finds all of this self-congratulatory talk about IQ scores in bad taste? If you have a high score, then you probably know all the arguments against IQ as a measure of intelligence. Certainly it's not a measure of accomplishment, and in fact I read somewhere that a high percentage of people with really high IQ's are actually underachievers. Perhaps this explains why Marilyn Vos Savant writes an advice column rather than working on a cure for cancer.

    I can't imagine anything more dull than spending an evening cooped up with a bunch of people all reveling in their IQ scores.

    For an interesting read, the following link to Wilmott.com (quant finance site), a member actually wonders whether it's appropriate, or even advisable, to include one's score on a resume. Incredible.

    Two axioms of IQ scores:

    1. Your IQ is never really high enough - is it?

    2. The only person that cares about your score is you (another reason to leave it off your resume).

    http://www.wilmott.com/310/messageview.cfm?catid=16&threadid=7477
     
  19. plcscott

    plcscott New Member

    Tom:

    We are trying to find out whose is bigger. Oops I mean higher! :D :D :D
     
  20. Myoptimism

    Myoptimism New Member

    Yes, but I think the real issue is the debate between the depth of the knowledge and the well-roundedness. :D

    Tony
     

Share This Page