I was always told I was "extremely smart," often as a prelude to saying
something negative about me. I am still kept up at night remembering a
professional (by which I mean unprofessional) encounter, where I was told that
"your intelligence is your greatest curse."
What else could I do but stare back blankly, and keep on being myself?
For years, I had graduate school to keep me occupied. From that pool of
people, I found friends whom I still value highly; friends who, even in the
environs of Hyde Park or the country's leading music school, stood out for
sheer intelligence and original thought.
I've addressed the issue of IQ on my blog, in a post titled (what else?) IQ.
Finally, done with school and badly in need of mental stimulation, I took the
Mensa Admission Test---a reputable test, administered by a certified
Proctor---in September 2008. The results were consistent with all past test
results of my life. The Mensa cutoff is two percent; in my case, widely
unmissable.
There are smaller groups out there, with stricter admission requirements. Some
of these, also, employ questionable examinations, or lack a consistent track
record of fellowship or productivity. Some of them are little more than a listing of
names---often, of the people who passed their test, which is little more than a
set of "brain-teasers" rather than a valid psychometric instrument. At the
moment, I'm not reaching out to any of these.
God makes you as smart as you are; as He makes you gay or straight, male or
female. You have no say in the matter, and there's no use getting upset about
your results or someone else's. Be who you are. And a club is never a total
solution.
If you're curious to know more---if you can relate to anything I've said---click the
Mensa logo below and have a look around. It might not be as intense as the
University of Chicago, but it'll certainly beat doodling during Sister Janet's math
class!
something negative about me. I am still kept up at night remembering a
professional (by which I mean unprofessional) encounter, where I was told that
"your intelligence is your greatest curse."
What else could I do but stare back blankly, and keep on being myself?
For years, I had graduate school to keep me occupied. From that pool of
people, I found friends whom I still value highly; friends who, even in the
environs of Hyde Park or the country's leading music school, stood out for
sheer intelligence and original thought.
I've addressed the issue of IQ on my blog, in a post titled (what else?) IQ.
Finally, done with school and badly in need of mental stimulation, I took the
Mensa Admission Test---a reputable test, administered by a certified
Proctor---in September 2008. The results were consistent with all past test
results of my life. The Mensa cutoff is two percent; in my case, widely
unmissable.
There are smaller groups out there, with stricter admission requirements. Some
of these, also, employ questionable examinations, or lack a consistent track
record of fellowship or productivity. Some of them are little more than a listing of
names---often, of the people who passed their test, which is little more than a
set of "brain-teasers" rather than a valid psychometric instrument. At the
moment, I'm not reaching out to any of these.
God makes you as smart as you are; as He makes you gay or straight, male or
female. You have no say in the matter, and there's no use getting upset about
your results or someone else's. Be who you are. And a club is never a total
solution.
If you're curious to know more---if you can relate to anything I've said---click the
Mensa logo below and have a look around. It might not be as intense as the
University of Chicago, but it'll certainly beat doodling during Sister Janet's math
class!
Since joining Mensa, I've appreciated the
opportunity to publish in the national
newsletter and in the newsletter of my Local
Group. I look forward to further participation.
No organization is perfect; and so far,
honestly, no organization has ever offered
me so much collective (and productive) IQ
as the C-Shop (in Hutch Commons at the U.
of Chicago--a kind of mental Mecca in my
mind's mappemunde).
But I'm staying in the game, as I tend to do!
opportunity to publish in the national
newsletter and in the newsletter of my Local
Group. I look forward to further participation.
No organization is perfect; and so far,
honestly, no organization has ever offered
me so much collective (and productive) IQ
as the C-Shop (in Hutch Commons at the U.
of Chicago--a kind of mental Mecca in my
mind's mappemunde).
But I'm staying in the game, as I tend to do!
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