The state of New Mexico has the second worst high school graduation rate in the nation, that is why the New Mexico government is looking into making students apply for college.

“It’s one of those wait and see moments,” writer of the pros and cons on requiring students to sign up for college applications, Jennifer Zinth said. “It may work for some students, but there’s some things New Mexico would have to think about.”

The state of New Mexico would not be the first to come up with a plan like this, starting in 2020 Chicago will require high school students to have a plan for after high school, according to CNN.

“This is a smart proposal since many people don’t take high school seriously,” sophomore Tori Hendricks said. “ This would require for them to actually think about their future. It would definitely change the graduation rate and better the education and future of the students in New Mexico.

The only exceptions to the bill would be if students can show that they have the commitment to go into the military service, a vocational program, an apprenticeship or internship after graduation, according to NewsWeek.

“I personally am interested in going into the U.S. Army or Marine Corps,” sophomore Ashley Davis said. “I think that it’s good that they took into consideration that there are people who would like to go someplace other than college. If this were to happen in our very own state, I think that it wouldn’t be a problem because it makes us think about our future and set things straight.”

In the state of New Mexico out of 19,982 high school graduates in 2010, 72.4% went to college. Now that percentage has dropped by almost 14%. The number of high school graduates is at 71%, the second lowest in the nation, according to CNN. Most who do not attend college is because they aren’t entirely 100% sure of what they want to do with their future, according to CollegeAtlas.org.

“Choosing between college is hard,” Davis said. “Because there’s so many benefits of having an extra education but it’s also so hard to choose the career for that you will do for the rest of your life. It’s hard knowing you will pay for something that can potentially help you but it’s not guaranteed. Which leads to the issue of how hard it is on the pocket of a middle class family like my own.”

Like Davis, Zinth also noticed the issue of money.

“Applications are but one challenge,” Zinth wrote in her 2014 report. “Completing financial aid applications is the other. Without assistance with financial aid forms, even middle-income students under application-for-all policies may apply and be accepted to institutions they are unable to afford.”

However,this is bill is not intended to make students feel as if it is required to go to college according to CNN.

“It might seem like they are being forced to go to college,” Hendricks said. “Yet I don’t see it that way. They give the students options and they’re just trying to increase the percentage of high school graduates and students who actually go to college. If this bill would come into effect it would give students opportunities to go to college and have their future and what they want to do clear. If a state can do something to better their education system then they should do it.”