If I got a 35 on my act (36 science, 32 math, 35 reading, 36 english) but a 6 on my essay, should i retake??
Depends on where you are applying but it seems that it is not required at the vast majority of colleges these days. One of my kids took it because Amherst recommended it. It has since been removed from their website. Check the websites of your target schools.
I think the California state schools are the only big ones requiring it, though there’s still a decent list of smaller schools. But in general, no, it’s becoming less and less meaningful. And that’s for a starting point that was already fairly low.
Unless you have your heart set on Berkeley, USC, UCLA (or one of the other smaller ones), no it’s not worth it, IMHO.
My son is in a similar situation- received a 34 (36 English, 36 Reading, 32 Math, 33 Science) and a 6 on writing. He is a Junior and just took for the first time in September. He would love to be “one and done.” As of now, says he wants to ED a NESCAC school (could all change, but will most likely not apply to any California schools. I don’t know if the new change announced today will change things for the '21s. He could definitely get the math and science higher and the writing too. He really wanted to be done when he got the 34
Nope like no one cares. A 34/36 should be good enough for just about any school. Call the admissions office and ask. Seriously… They will give you some feedback.