in all honesty, i prefer seasons 4-6 elena to 1-3 because elena is such a strong person now. in 1-3, she was constantly at the mercy of others and even though her compassion was one of my favorite traits, she became a damsel in distress, and this ruined her a bit for me.  i think making her a vampire has actually made her a more dynamic character & so much more fun to explore, in my mind.