I might sound dumb, but I was wondering if there was anything that might make unappealing in an essay to scholarships judgers? (Scholarships that require one)
Poor writing.
I was wondering if it could also be like what people write about? Like a certain topic that makes them crumble and throw the paper across the room? 
Formulaic mission trip essay.
Getting the name of the school/scholarship wrong.
Mission trips/volunteering times a million. Scoring the winning goal in a game is cliche, too.