BC - I'm in a similar position to yourself, except that I'm male
I'm in Year 13, and I've just started my PPL. I can't really afford it myself, but I work one day a week just to keep the flying going once a fortnight. It's pretty vital that you start doing some flying training as soon as you can because it will get you meeting the right people, and give you an advantage of those who haven't started yet(after all you may be up against them in the future!)
It also seems that as sponsorships will be away for a while, going to Uni and getting extra qualifications for when they come back is a good idea. I'm going to take a gap year and do some work in the aviation industry before commiting to 4 years or so of study...
I wish you all the luck, and if you want a chat - Then my e-mail is below
[ 01 December 2001: Message edited by: MikeSamuel ]