When choosing the combined degree area of study, there is usually a list of check boxes. Does this mean we should pick more than one that is of interest? If so, how many is a good number to pick? Or do schools prefer for applicants to only pick one?
The problem is that I am interested in more than a single area.
Thank you for the insight. I didn't know it was to assign faculty for review since I thought that would be part of the secondary. Now, I can relax a bit knowing I didn't make a mistake choosing 2-3 areas instead of a single one.
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Yes, checking the boxes serves to pair you with faculty that fit your interests. On secondary applications, they frequently give you space to explain what sort of research you are interested in doing (this can be specific or general and one or more areas). You'll likely get faculty interviewers who are related to what you wrote about.
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I usually picked 3. For most schools, this part doesn't matter. It will matter for the specific secondaries. Either they will have similar checkmark boxes with areas tailored to their programs offered or they'll have space (with very, very limited character counts) to say keywords that align with your research interests. They then use this information to pair you with faculty if they can't match you with ones you requested for interview. In addition to research interests, most will have departmental selections to which you're applying - sometimes for official purposes so they know you're explicitely applying to the school of engineering for your PhD.
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