SPONSORED CONTENT -- (StatePoint) Heading off to college can be an exciting, yet stressful time. You’ll be moving away from the friends and family you’ve known your whole life and will be living with roommates and making completely new groups of friends.

Luckily, (especially for shy students out there) there are many social media platforms and apps to help meet people, connect and showcase your personality. Here are just a few to consider:

A New Way of Networking. For students just starting their college search, in the application process or already in college, the free ZeeMee app provides a variety of networking features for each step of the way. It allows students applying to college to supplement their admissions materials with a collection of images, videos and documents that showcase their achievements beyond grades and essays. And once admitted, community and chat features offer an easy way to connect and make friends at your school.

Personalized Greetings to Show Your Personality. Whether you’re celebrating lifelong friends at their graduation parties or making your new connections feel special, there is a SmashUp to be shared. SmashUps by American Greetings are smile-inducing sharable videos that feature celebrities, fun characters and selfies that can be personalized with hundreds of names for numerous occasions. Simply find the SmashUp that showcases your personality; personalize it and share via email, text or social media. Plus, with a monthly, yearly or two-year American Greetings account, you’ll be able to send an unlimited number of videos to all the new friends you make in the coming semesters. To sign up for a SmashUps membership, available for $6.99/month or $29.99/year, visit www.americangreetings.com.

Connect, Don’t Creep. As you prepare to meet your new roommate and classmates at orientation, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are great ways to communicate with your new friends and build relationships. One word of advice: don’t creep on older posts in their social media profiles. Why? Because you may formulate opinions about them before you even get to know each other. You’ve likely changed quite a bit through your high school years, and likely so have others. And let’s be real – it’s easy to misrepresent yourself online.

Deck Out Your Dorm. Moving into a dorm requires a lot of stuff, and it can be difficult to determine what you’ll need to bring versus what your new roommates may contribute. A college dorm registry is the ideal way for each of you to add everything on your checklist to one convenient gift list that you -- or your friends and family -- can shop with ease. The free MyRegistry.com site and app allows you to create and then sync your registry from your favorite stores to take advantage of their perks. For example, Target offers a great discount on remaining registry items when you shop online. A win-win!

With a few new apps, you’ll be on your way to college connection success.

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