lavamonkey

I went to Cornell as an undergraduate so I can tell you a bit about Ithaca, NY.  I'll break it down into sections: weather/geography, the campus, local attractions, and what the locals and student body is like.
 
weather/geography:  The towns in upstate New York tend to be spread out.  There are many small-medium sized towns littered throughout the area.  The nearest "big" city, Syracuse, is about 90 minutes away by car and New York City is about 4 hours away.  Ithaca can feel a bit isolated at times, thought that might be a good thing if you're a grad student.  The weather is, perhaps, the most notorious aspect of Ithaca.  Summers tend to be humid with thunder storms coming in and out and winters seem to last forever.  Snow typically appears in November, and can last until late March/early April.  It gets the coldest in January and February.  The coldest temperature i've experienced was -20F(that is a negative sign in front).  However, the fall, when the leaves begin to turn, can be quite pleasant.
 
campus:  The campus is nice.  There is a nice mix of new and old buildings.   I noticed that you're studying English which I think the department is housed in the Arts Quad.  There is a large grass area in the middle of all the buildings where students hang out, play frisbee, have snowball fights, etc.  Students typically live in North Campus, West Campus, or Collegetown, though there are a few that live downtown.  North Campus and West Campus are technically still part of the Cornell campus and have all the school dorms.  North campus is where all the freshmen dorms are, but there are also apartments and frat houses for other students.  West Campus has upper classmen dorms, apartments, and frat houses.  Though if you live on West Campus, you are gonna have to walk up a big ass slope to class everyday.  Collegetown, which is exactly what its name says, a "college town", also has apartments and houses for students.  There are many restaurants and bars in Collegetown as well.  Many grad students hang out at the Chapter House, which is a nice bar to drink a beer and hang out.
 
attractions:  I would consider Ithaca to be rural.  Having a car would make things very convenient for you, but I have known students to manage without one.  There is the Ithaca Commons which is the downtown area of Ithaca.  There are many restaurants, local shops, and the historic State Theater for concerts.  There is the Ithaca Farmers Market where you can buy produce, locally made trinkets, and really good food.  The space is really nice and I recommend the apple donuts.  There is the Treman State Park where you can go for a hike and see really cool rock formations.  There is Ithaca College where you can go visit if you get sick of being at Cornell hehe.  There is Ithaca's very own Ithaca Beer Company.  They have a very nice selection of beer.  I suggest Apricot Wheat if you're into something a bit fruity and wheaty, though everything else is pretty good too.   Oh, also, there are tons of things that go on at campus. 
 
the locals and student body:  Ithaca can have some very colorful people.  You have your hippies who look like they came straight from the woodstock, and then you have your professors or people that work at the university.  I would say that people tend to be more on the liberal side.  The student body is pretty large and diverse.  No matter what, you will find a group of students or club that will fit your interests.
 
Yes, the brochures do paint a nice picture of the campus and Ithaca, but it obviously doesn't paint the whole picture.  For me personally, I don't think I would ever live in Ithaca again solely because of the weather (I hate being cold).  However, I did appreciate that Ithaca is very unique place to be with a very strange, but pleasant, mix of people and culture.  It is considered a "small town," but there is a lot that goes on in campus and in the city itself.  It's just mostly about how much you're willing to explore and discover these things for yourself.