I'll be happy to answer in detail and pay it forward... I had someone fill me in a few years ago when I had similar questions about Ottawa.

First of all, remember that Ottawa is a small town. If you subtract the universities and the government, Ottawa would be North Bay. If you live near campus you won't need or want a car, and public transit is okay but not great and about a generation behind Toronto or Montreal in terms of service. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a nearby grocery store, gym, café, dispensary... you know, the essentials. If you're on a budget and considering commuting to campus from a cheaper part of the city, everybody I know who did that regrets their decision. You might save a couple hundred bucks living in Vanier, but the commute will demoralize you, especially in winter.

In terms of culture, Ottawa has improved a lot over the past few years. There is a pretty good restaurant scene in the Glebe and Hintonburg, but if you're expecting Montreal or Toronto you'll be very disappointed. Gongfu Bao and Jax are my favorites this year. Nobody goes to the Byward unless it's to buy prosciutto from La Bottega. Little Italy is nothing to write home about. And don't believe the locals: there aren't a lot of great places for student fast food in this town. The shawarma here is vastly overrated and if you're from Toronto you've tasted better. Not a lot of great pizza or sandwich shops near either major campus. Also most places close early and there aren't very many 24 hour hang outs, nothing like Toronto or Montreal, so unless you're a stay-at-home student who brews your own coffee at 1am, then you'll be disappointed. Concerts and festivals are what you'd expect from a small town. Some of the summer music festivals are absurdly overpriced, which explains the dozen or so spectators. I'm exaggerating, but not by much. Mostly, it's a bore. You'll have to make friends and make your own fun.

Lots of museums and if nature trails, if that's your thing, especially on the Quebec side. It's easy to make friends in Ottawa, so you can definitely make the most of your time here and have great experiences. Also, just speaking for myself, I'm surprised by how forward women tend to be here, compared to Montreal and Toronto anyway! I've heard many theories about that, but I have no answers! At school, I made lots of friends who were also from elsewhere, and much fun was had. Locals aren't even close to as friendly as they insist that they are, and there's definitely a tension in town that's palpable, especially when compared to other Canadian cities. In my experience living a few places, you're way more likely to witness a shouting match in Tim Hortons, road rage, or a confrontation on the sidewalk in Ottawa than maybe any other major city in Canada. There's definitely a weird income inequality thing here too, lots of homeless citizens, poverty, violence. People are on edge in Ottawa, generally.

Is Ottawa a good place to live and study? Yes, for the most part. You'll probably make it the two years no problem, but then you'll be happy to move on to what's next. Let me know if you need any specific advice, enjoy!