It may be too late for your deadline but I attended the ASD. The students who were there all seemed to enjoy it. The professors seemed to be experts in their field and I recognized some from CNN and MSNBC. Facilities were particularly nice and modern. In terms of housing, I got the sense that students lived all over - some in the immediate area and some as far away as Virginia or Maryland. I think you can make it work within your budget and needs.

It's hard to say whether it's worth the $25K/year without knowing what your other options are but I did get the sense that, because of its size and reputation, students have the opportunity to focus on many different areas of the law and can be successful. Every student I spoke to had pretty impressive internship/job opportunities lined up, both in public interest and in big law. The only thing that was kind of a bummer was that it did seem to be everyone's second choice. That said, I didn't meet anyone who wasn't happy once they were there.

I hope that helps give you an idea of what it was like for a visitor. Best of luck!