I just got accepted to the college I applied to. One of the things I got was a little postcard that says on it anticipated college major. I know I want to do reasearch science but that is all! What am I supposed to fill out on the card?

yafa,

For now, put down the discipline for which you would like to do that research (chemistry, biology, physics...). The college likely does this so it can assign you an advisor from the department as soon as possible. But remember, what you put down now isn't written in stone; on average, college students change their major 4-5 times during their university education.

Is there a way to right down general sciences? or do I have to choose a specific one for now?

University curricula and departments differ. Check out the catalogue and see what yours has.
There may be a general science major, or you may have to declare a specific science. At any rate, you can change it later on if you so wish.

The university probably has a website and/or an 800-number. You could try both of those to see what majors your school offers. They may allow you to just put down "Science" or they may request you put something more specific like "Biology" or "Chemistry."
But remember, like Juan said, nothing is set in stone. Talk with your advisor and make sure you are taking the classes you want to along with the core curriculum that is required by the university. Eventually you may find yourself leaning in one scientific direction or another. Depending on your university, though, you may just be able to get a Bachelors of Science in Science.
Check with them, see what they suggest you do.

And congratulations on your acceptance!!

Congrats Yafa

Just put down any science you might be interested in. When you meet with your advisor, make sure he/she knows you are undecided. At the beginning, it doesn't matter too much what your declared major is, and many people change before they're done. Take some introductory science classes. At most schools, intro chemistry and physics will be required for biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, environmental science, and geology majors anyway, and having at least an introductory level knowledge of other sciences is likely to help you with whatever science you do eventually choose.

The one thing to be cautious of is that there are sometimes multiple introductory courses. At my undergrad, for example, there were two sets of introductory physics classes. One set met the biology major and general education requirements, but it didn't meet the chemistry and physics major requirements. The other set met requirements for any of the science majors, including biology and biochemistry. Talk to your advisor about this, and check the requirements (in the course catalog or department websites usually) for the majors you are interested in.

About just picking 'general science.' The college may let you do that for now (that's what I did at first). If they do, that's probably the best move for now. But, even if your school offers a mjor in just 'science,' I would pick eventually pick one if you plan on doing research. Diversity is good (I took a lot of non-chemistry courses), but not having a major in a particular science wil hurt you in research.

[This message was edited by methos5000 on 03-24-03 at 09:33 AM.]