Speaking ahead of next week's publication of A level results, Miss Curnock Cook believes a radical change is needed. She wants to rename the gap year as a "bridging" year.
"Candidates who want to achieve a good offer next year need to use their year strategically, to enhance their attractiveness to institutions," she said.
"People have to be more realistic and they need to go out and use their 'bridging year' to enhance their application," she said.
"Conceptually a gap year has been when young people take a nice break and go out and see the world.
"By calling it a bridging year instead, you stress that it should be used in a focused way to support an application to the course or university you are targeting."
Training with Flying Fish has been a popular route to gaining a qualification and getting work experience since 1993. The classic Flying Fish gap year includes a period of training in the UK, Greece, Canada or Australia, leading to qualification as a Yachtmaster or as a water sports or snow sports instructor. Some people combine the two and end up teaching surfing or sailing as well as skiing or snowboarding.
After their gap year with Flying Fish these students have made the contacts they need to be confident of getting interesting vacation jobs during their years at university.
More about taking a gap year with Flying Fish >>