Well, I think you should go for paid - not only to get room for loads of icons, but also to avoid all the ads. Because, when you have a paid account, you don't see the ads on other people's journals, no matter how many ads they have. To me, you're all ad-free, and I love that. But, if you feel strongly that being a poor student is a big part of your identity, then maybe you should wait. I was annoyed at first that LJ ended up on Russian hands, but I decided to be magnanimous and trust them. There has to be honest Russians around as well... hopefully even in big corporations.