The population of the U.S. is growing more, not less, diverse, particularly in terms of race. According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. population in 1960 was 85 percent white. By 2060, that figure will drop to 43 percent.

With a growing diverse population comes diversity in language. Nearly 61 million people in the U.S. sp oke a language other than English at home as of 2011, according to federal data .

These trends are, and should be, influencing medical school education in a number of ways, most notably, highlighting the nation’s need for a diverse medical student body.

Diversity in education benefits both students and patients. These exchanges increase the effectiveness of cultural teaching in the classroom and help produce culturally competent physicians, who are much more valuable to the population than ones who are not.

[Be sure to consider medical school carefully as a minority student.]

Patients generally feel more comfortable — they exhibit greater trust and a willingness to follow medical recommendations — with a physician who looks like they do and who shares a similar cultural background. When a patient and physician don’t share a similar background, the patient may feel judged before they even enter the exam room.

When applying to medical schools, consider how you identify yourself in terms of diversity and which activities help define who you are. Admissions committees want to develop a diverse range of physicians, some of whom will care for underserved populations. Show them you understand that.

For example, many students indicate their heritage on the front demographic sheet of the AMCAS application. If you are claiming an African-American, Hispanic, Native American or other minority heritage, be sure to provide evidence throughout your application that supports that identification. If you don’t mention it anywhere else in the application, your claim will be questioned by the admissions committee. There are several ways to accomplish this.

In your personal statement, you might describe a patient or an acquaintance of the same ethnicity who affected your decision to go into medicine. Perhaps that experience demonstrated to you the need for more physicians who better understand your background or culture.

[Learn about the factors behind medical school admissions.]

Volunteer activities in a clinic or school are excellent ways to serve. You can show younger students of your same ethnicity the importance of reading and math skills. Or, perhaps you can help teach science to underserved middle school students.

Working with a high school can also be rewarding, as can volunteering in a clinic that treats the underserved. Perhaps you can serve as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients. Maybe you can interpret why a person of a diverse background is more frightened about a test, diagnosis or request to be a research subject.

If a physician doesn’t understand the vernacular the patient uses, the patient can be misunderstood and may be misdiagnosed, or the physician may not adequately communicate the treatment plan, which can lead to a poor outcome.

Another activity option is research. Perhaps your passion for a research project to study population health or treatment outcomes led you to examine diverse results in multiple racial groups. Many medications have different efficacy and side effects in diverse populations.

Infant mortality, cardiac disease and diabetes are popular areas of research that will hopefully lead to more equitable care in the future. If you have another year before you will apply to medical school, look to become involved in a project like this at an academic medical center.

[Know the benefits of undergraduate medical research.]

Involvement in social, political or educational groups also offer opportunities to highlight your diversity participation. And if one of your letter of recommendation writers knows about your involvement in diversity activities, you might suggest he or she add that to the letter.

You can show evidence of your dedication to diversity by demonstrating continuity and leadership. And no matter how you choose your diversity activities, be sure to show through your words and behavior that you care.

Finally, keep in mind that race and ethnicity are just two components of the entire diversity picture. There are others who may feel disenfranchised from the current health care system, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

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Highlight Diversity in Medical School Applications originally appeared on usnews.com