Elena is a Vampire... Good or Bad?

So yep, I am at that point in the Vampire Diaries (season 4 to be precise) and Elena turned into a vampire after a lot of drama and shit- Alaric becoming like what Michael used to be, more people dieing, Claus and shit going mental, possible death of all vampires etc. So I am still thinking is it a good or a bad thing that this took place? What I love is how the creators did this whole transformation- it is so freaking epic. Way better than Twilight ofcourse (I was forced to watch it, it was shit, I was the first one to exit the cinema and nearly puked after watching it). I love how Elena is trying to be chill, how she cant handle some of the blood she takes unless it is straight from the veins, because of her doppleganger bullshit. I love the scene where she pukes blood like crazy- so tastefully made. Also when she gets angry, she gets so cool... and still remains super hot even as a monster. However, this transformation thing it is quite a bit of a cliche. They could have saved her as a human so she remains super vulnerable and sad. That I would have quite enjoyed. But who knows, probbably the course this show took is way better, I mean the creators are not idiots. What do you guys think? Do you like it the way it went? Btw I have not seen Buffy in a while- I need to do that.