1. This stereotype depends all on your perspective. TRUE that Ithaca is not a city, however, we are only 45 minutes away from Syracuse and 3 hours from NYC. Often times, there are so many events going on at Cornell (from concerts, to speakers; from parties to sports games) that one doesn't even realize that one is not in a metropolitan city.
People also often forget that Ithaca has a lot to offer. From apple festivals to music concerts, Ithaca offers a culture that not many people get to experience in their lifetime. There are many cities in the world, but very few places like Ithaca.
2. If you look at overall acceptance rates, then yes, maybe you would think that Cornell is the easiest Ivy to get into. But if you look at acceptance rates for certain schools (for example, engineering), you will find that Cornell is actually a very hard school to get into.
3. Cornell may be an Ivy League school but it also has the second biggest Greek system. Cornell students know how to balance both sides of life which equals knowing how to study and party hard. Every weekend, there are tons of parties at fraternities, house parties or bars for those who are legally allowed to drink. We even have a school-wide party at the end of every spring system with a huge concert (Slope Day).
4. The suicide rate at Cornell is actually below the national average. Other top schools have surpassed us when it comes to annual suicides. This rumor is only around due to the fact that Cornell has many gorges, and to many people bridges + stressed out students = suicide.
5. The weather in Ithaca isn't as bad as everyone makes it seem. Yes, it does snow and rain here, but the average amount of snowfall here is less than Boston. We also get less snow than schools such as Syracuse and SUNY Buffalo.
6. Cornell student's may seem unfriendly if you expected a school full of people who party/go out 24/7, but we are an outgoing lot. Yes, if you try to talk to us during prelim (exam) season, we might be a little crabby, but don't you think that the University that contains the number one hotel school in the world would have friendly students?
7. All of Cornell is privately owned. Three of its seven undergraduate colleges (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Human Ecology and College of Industrial and Labor Relations) are known as contract colleges. They receive funding from New York State. Residents of NY that are enrolled in the contract colleges pay a reduced tuition. Furthermore, the governor of the state serves as an ex-officio member of the board of trustees. Those students who attend contract colleges are no different than any other Cornell students.