Thanks to everyone for their responses.
Its taken me a long time (and many a part-time job) to save enough for the full PPL course so believe me when I say I'm enthusiastic about flying.
The point I was trying to get across was whether having a PPL would be seen as having 'too much' experience in the eyes of the recruitment officer. This especially applies to those sponsored pilot training schemes like BA used to offer which are aimed at those with 'some' or 'no' flying experience. No doubt a 'few lessons' will give you an advantage, but a PPL may be pushing it.
Just to give you an example, the South African Airways Pilot Training Programme specifies that applicants should have no more than 60 hours (and flying experience is not a prerequisite).
As FREDA pointed out, when you're at uni, cash is limited so it hasn't been easy scrapping together the necessary funds.
Ideally I have two options:
1) Have a few lessons to give me an advantage or,
2) Do the full PPL and hope that it doesn't hinder my chances in any way.
And before you ask, the only way I can do the CPL, ATPL etc. privately is by working for 5 years+ and funding it as I go, so sponsorship seems like the more interesting route to aim for.