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Are you part of the Mensa high IQ society who also is pursuing your post-secondary education? If you are currently struggling to pay for your college, this Mensa Scholarship could be the perfect solution for you.
The Mensa Foundation generously awards thousands of dollars every year to their college-bound members and their dependents. The scholarship distribution aims to retain intelligent individuals in university, which ultimately leads to a brighter future generation.
Interested in a Mensa Scholarship? Keep reading to learn more about what it takes to apply to one.
What is a Mensa Scholarship?
A Mensa Scholarship, as the name suggests, is a scholarship granted by the Mensa Foundation to college students who are: 1) a member of the foundation, and/or 2) a descendant of a member. It serves as an initiative of the Mensa Foundation to help deserving members to pursue their degrees sans the looming shadow of student loans.
The annual scholarship is also one of the most coveted. The reason for this is the Mensa Foundation’s notoriously difficult entrance test; only those who score in the top 2% in the test are granted membership. However, such elite membership comes with its own tantalizing perks, including this life-changing financial aid.
The Mensa Foundation is a charitable, nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of superior human intelligence. It was established in 1971. By directing donations to scholarships, gifted youngsters, and educational outreach, the foundation’s work benefits people, groups, and society at large.
How Do I Know if I Am Eligible?
To be considered for the award, you must intend to enroll in an accredited educational institution for the 2023-24 academic year. Also, since this scholarship is only open to those with Mensa Foundation membership and/or are dependents of foundation members, make sure you are one before considering applying.
Now, if you believe you are a deserving candidate for this opportunity, proceed to the next session to find out the scholarship amount that you might win.
How Do I Qualify for Mensa?
People who scored in the top two percent of the general population on an intelligence test that has been properly given and overseen are eligible to join Mensa. There are not any additional requirements for initial membership eligibility.
Take a Mensa-administered test or submit a qualifying test score from another recognized test to demonstrate your eligibility for Mensa.
The Stanford-Binet and Cattell IQ tests are two of the more popular ones. Getting into Mensa in the top 2% requires a Stanford-Binet exam score of 132 or higher, or a Cattell equivalent score of 148 or higher.
How Much Money Can I Get from This Scholarship?
Mensa Scholarship winners will receive $2,500 cash that they can apply towards their education-related expenses. Combined with full-ride scholarships, it is a meaningful opportunity, especially for students who are struggling economically.
What Information Do I Need to Apply?
To apply for this scholarship, all you need is an application and an essay. In your scholarship application form, you have to provide the following information:
- Mensa membership or dependent status
- Personal information
- Legal address
- Present address
- Education information
- School you plan to attend
For your essay, make sure you draft an original piece of writing of no more than 550 words. It should be about your goal and the experiences or steps you have taken towards it, why you think you will succeed, and the impact of your experiences or achievements on the probability of meeting your goal. Assessment also involves grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
The unique thing about the Mensa Scholarship application is that it is judged anonymously. In other words, you cannot include your name, address, or other identifying information in your essay. As such, the judges will score strictly based on what you write without considering anything beyond the lines.
How Do I Apply for This Scholarship?
Fill out the electronic application form here to apply for the Mensa Scholarship. Note that essays must be submitted by copy-pasting your writing on the form on the website. Consequently, your essay submission will be saved as plain text with no additional markup.
Most importantly, attach your digital signature to confirm that the information and essay you provide is your own work, and that you abide by the rules.
When Is This Scholarship Due?
The Mensa Scholarship deadline is on January 15, 2022, at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT). Only one application is allowed per student in this scholarship competition.
How to Increase Your Chances of Winning This Scholarship
Essays play a crucial role in your application. Therefore, knowing what kind of piece of writing that will bring you success is important.
One way to craft a winning essay is to refer to the work of past winners. This can give you an idea of the judges’ preferences, such as the angle of discussion, language style, and information that should be included.
The following Mensa Scholarship essay example can help pump up your creative juices:
My parents never went to college. After spending time at a juvenile detention center, my father could not complete his high school education. After being hit by a tractor-trailer and going through a six-month coma, my mother attended a year of technical school but has since forgotten all she learned there. Our main source of income is the disability assistance she now receives. I am making it my duty to ensure that all of our country’s youngsters understand how vital education truly is after witnessing personally how challenging it is to raise a family without a college degree.
I have flourished during my high school days, serving as an example for my classmates both inside and outside the classroom. My SAT scores placed me in the top 3% of African Americans and the top 9% of all students, and I am currently rated 19th out of my diverse class of 317 individuals. I have volunteered hundreds of hours by playing with sick kids at local children’s hospital, running a summer day camp program for underprivileged kids at a library in my neighborhood, and assisting other students with their research in my school library.
I will start going to school in the fall of next year to get my bachelor’s in psychology and eventually my master’s in education. The university is one of the top institutions in the nation for training future professionals, and its degree in Applied Developmental Psychology will equip me to make a difference in people’s lives. I consider educating the future generation to be my life’s work, and as a teacher, I hope to motivate students from similar disadvantaged circumstances to overcome their challenges.
The children are our future, as everyone is aware, but public education is sadly no longer the institution that it once was. We continue to teach using the same techniques and procedures that have been employed for hundreds of years, even though we live in a completely new world. We lag behind nations like Switzerland, China, and Japan because we have a tendency to adhere to antiquated practices. When I succeed in my aim, I won’t just be an educator; instead, I will be an innovator, a mentor, and—most importantly—a leader.
We have educational options as Americans that our predecessors could never have dreamed of. I will make sure that my kids seize any opportunity that comes their way. My family has never been dubious that I am going to college, even though we cannot purchase our own meals. In the same manner that I am going to accomplish my own aspirations, I am confident that there are tools available to enable all kids to do the same. They just need someone to point them in the right direction.
What’s Next
Are you on a mission to find more life-changing opportunities? You are in the right place! Check out our guides to getting the Pulse of Perseverance Scholarship and Unigo’s Education Matters Scholarship.
