How did your "first time" affect you?

I’ve heard so many stories about people losing their virginity to the wrong person, at the wrong time, or for the wrong reasons. I’ve held on to mine for a long time (I’m almost nineteen) and am wondering just how much it affects your life. There is a guy that is really perfect, but I think that I’ve hyped up how important the “first time” is, that I just can’t let myself lose it to him. I’m going away to school so we probably won’t be together for very long, but I wonder if that’s a good enough reason for stopping myself from doing something that I really want to do. Any input or stories?