Have tuition fees put paid to the gap year?

With university tuition fees about to rise to up £9,000 in 2012, it has been reported that scores of students are cancelling their gap years in order to start university a year early. Clare Beckett, head of recruitment at the University of West London, has said: "Gap years are a thing of the past." The stereotype of the dim-witted "Gap Yah" backpacker has become a common object of ridicule , but given that many spend their time doing voluntary work, should we really cheer on the decline of young people taking a year out? If you're happy to see the end of stories about finding yourself in the Andes, would you suggest other ways in which young people could contribute to society before embarking on a career?