Hi there Raggedy,
I'm the older version of you; I'm from Vancouver, Moved to Winnipeg just over 7 years ago for school (my wife started first, then me).
I'll start by saying read all the posts above mine thus far as they all have very good information. I had a house in Wolseley and absolutely LOVED it there. Its a very walkable, quiet neighborhood with lots of pedestrian and cycling activity. I miss living blocks away from the Tall Grass Prairie Bakery, Neighbourhood bookstore and cafe, and De Luca's Italian Deli. All staples of my random walk-about shopping.
I did my school at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus; my wife at Bannatyne (hence our decision to locate centrally). That said, the #36 is an express bus that serves Wolseley decently and is a one-seat express ride to the Fort Garry Campus. But I can sense that you're maybe after a little more density and vitality, so definitely look at apartments along Corydon Ave. Osborne Village, and do look around the exchange. Do yourself a huge favour if you wander the exchange and go on a saturday; unfortunately many of the stores/cafes aren't open Sunday, and it can feel a little deserted. Not really the case! Read through the Winnipeg construction forum and you'll see there is a lot of residential momentum downtown right now, particularly in the Exchange. Even if half the proposals make it to completion, the area will have grown a lot.
I think you will find the Fort Garry Campus to be a very reasonable and pretty nice University. There is a good variety of services on campus (doctor, dentist, food, hair salon, etc). FYI, perogie-fridays at St. Johns College cafeteria were my favourite. You've also got a variety of restaurants off-campus on Pembina Highway, but you need a car to get there. As a grad student, you should have some liberty to go out once in a while
-- Beware; Aramark food, but there are student-run and church-run options.
As for culture, things to do -- as said above, you have to look around for it since much of it is local-oriented. Winnipeg is not a flashy tourist town (although a couple new major attractions are opening this summer; I'll let you find them
. Definitely explore the live music, the professional theatre, folkfest, art gallery, local history, floodway, the rivers, everything. I really appreciated everything Winnipeg had to offer, and mostly how it was a genuine mix of urban soul and culture, and not entirely run over by big box stores and razzle-dazzle.
If you find yourself missing White Spot or Vera's burger shack (or whatever your YVR burger passion is), then definitely check out the winnipeg burger stands. Ma n Pa-run places you can get a really good, homemade burger and fries. I recommend VJ's on main, or Dairy Whip. Fatboy with fries; thats what you order.
Oh yeah, definitely check out the Bridge Drive In (Ice cream!) and Sargent Sundae (Portage Avenue). Nothing beats Ma n Pa ice cream places.
You may find the summers feel pretty hot some days since you no longer have that ocean breeze to cool you off, but that is tempered by some amazing thunderstorm potential. I actually joined the local stormchasing team while I was in town (although I am a weather geek, so I have an excuse). Winters are NOT as bad as everyone out in BC whines about. There is such a thing as a dry cold, and its really not that bad. Cold temps mean low absolute humidity, which means you don't feel damp. Just figure out what layering of clothing works for you, and you'll be fine. Avoid going outside when the windchills are below -40 though... the wind really tests your endurance of the cold. If you ignore this past winter (worst winter on record since 1898), it generally doesn't go below -30C that often... (air temp only; no wind chill). When it does, its usually at night... although a cold spell can yield a couple -30C as high temp days! I'd take a -20C and sunny day over +1 and wet any day.
Oh yeah, outdoor hockey rinks galore in wintertime, and free skating on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, along with Festivale de Voyageurs. There is also the Fringe Festival, Folklorama (international festival), Winnipeg Comedy festival, and many others.
If you do have a car, you should get a block heater installed. Others may waiver on whether you need one or not, but it really is useful to have your car plugged in when the nighttime minimum is below -30 and you're parked outside. If you don't have a car, then don't worry about it. Get a bike instead since its flat as can be there, so riding is pretty straightforward -- just watch the traffic and learn the bike routes.
Have a safe move and good luck!
I've since moved again, this time to Victoria for a post-doc, but I really do miss my friends and basically everything I described above.
p.s. If you're a hockey fan; then definitely find a way to get yourself into the MTS Centre for a Jets game next season. It truly is the best hockey crowd experience in the NHL!