<p>Just for the sake of balance, I didn’t go to ASW Summer Institute and I did just fine. Making friends during orientation is not hard at all (and I definitely do not have awesome social skills)…the hard part really comes with choosing which group of people to start hanging out with regularly once the whirlwind of the first few weeks dies down, not trying to get friends in the first place (unless you spend your first few weeks entirely on facebook, playing WOW, or with your significant other).</p>
<p>That said, all of my friends who went to ASW loved it (though friendwise, its apparently kind of funny to look back at who you hung out with during ASW and how people have changed since then). And those who are did SI are inseparable from their SI buddies. So if you have the money, go ahead. But if you’re like my family and will have to stretch a little to afford an extra plane ticket, don’t bother.</p>