I think of it as something to live for. When I was a kid I looked forward to Halley's comet in 1986. It was kind of a bust! Of course, there were the Pioneers and Voyagers, but I don't recall a sense of anticipation for them. I just took them as they came. Then Galileo at Jupiter in 1994. We had the comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp around that time, as well. Then Y2K of course, and then Cassini Huygens in 2004. I wasn't looking forward to Dawn's arrival at Vesta, because I didn't know about it! But I was quite pleased to follow its mission upon arrival. So now, another wait. I have to say that the NEAR mission to Eros in 2001 was most exciting, being the first close look at a large asteroid, even though Vesta is much more intrinsically interesting. Well, so now we wait 'til 2015, although Mars remains busy.
I suspect it looks more like a small planet or moon.
It is certainly more nearly spherical, but I think its topography should resemble Vesta's pretty closely.
We’re also going to get our first look at Pluto in 2015.