February 7, 2026 at 6:35 pm

College Student Noticed Their Best Friend Skipping Nearly Every Class, So They Considered Speaking Up, But Worried About Coming Off Too Judgemental

by Benjamin Cottrell

college students standing around talking

Pexels/Reddit

Caring about someone sometimes meant saying the uncomfortable thing out loud.

One college student grew increasingly worried as their best friend skipped nearly every class in the first week of the semester.

They wonder if they should step in and say something, or simply let their friend make her own decisions.

Keep reading to find out what Reddit thought.

WIBTA if I told my best friend she’s being really irresponsable?

I (21NB) have a best friend (22F) who means the world to me. I care about her more than anyone who isn’t direct family.

We both go to university together, and we took many courses together because we find it easier to do well and attend when we’re together in class.

But soon they begin noticing their bestie is developing some bad habits.

The semester started about one week ago. So far, my friend has attended only one class.

She is enrolled in five courses that are each scheduled twice a week, so she has been to a total of 1 out of 10 classes.

Later in the semester, skipping can sometimes become justifiable because we have other classes to catch up on. But we literally just started.

They worry about the long-term implications of this and begin to question what they should do next.

I fear she is developing some seriously crappy habits early on, and I worry about her.

I want to tell her that she’s not setting herself up for success this way. I don’t want to be mean, but this feels like harmful behavior toward herself.

She usually doesn’t skip this much early on, and I find this extremely detrimental to her future.

WIBTA for telling her to take this more seriously?

They weren’t speaking up out of judgement, but out of care.

What did Reddit have to say?

Sometimes being a good friend means showing tough love.

Screenshot 2026 01 12 at 1.23.47 PM College Student Noticed Their Best Friend Skipping Nearly Every Class, So They Considered Speaking Up, But Worried About Coming Off Too Judgemental

It’s important to address this friend in a non-judgmental way.

Screenshot 2026 01 12 at 1.24.16 PM College Student Noticed Their Best Friend Skipping Nearly Every Class, So They Considered Speaking Up, But Worried About Coming Off Too Judgemental

This commenter disagrees and doesn’t think it’s a friend’s place to say something like this.

Screenshot 2026 01 12 at 1.25.10 PM College Student Noticed Their Best Friend Skipping Nearly Every Class, So They Considered Speaking Up, But Worried About Coming Off Too Judgemental

They’re right to speak up, but it doesn’t guarantee the friend will listen.

Screenshot 2026 01 12 at 1.25.58 PM College Student Noticed Their Best Friend Skipping Nearly Every Class, So They Considered Speaking Up, But Worried About Coming Off Too Judgemental

Real friends don’t wait until everything falls apart to speak up.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.