Heck no it's not offensive. Context is everything. I wish I was there to talk some common sense into your classmates. It seems like they don't understand the difference between sympathy and empathy. To piggy back on Lobstesbucko, we did a wheelchair exercise in college to understand how important it is to have ADA accessible buildings and facilities. Having to navigate broken sidewalks and heavy doors, among other obstacles was a real eye-opening experience that helped me empathize with their struggles, even though I already sympathized with them. Thanks for having more common sense than your classmates and coming to us for our opinion.