What would you suggest would be a good college to pursue the career as a photographer?

You don't indicate what area of photography you wish to pursue. So, if you have an interest in commercial photography then Art Center in California is probably the best. If you want to pursue photojournalism, I believe the U. of Missouri School of Journalism is one of the best. Google photojournalism degrees to see other choices.
Another thought is learn photography as a minor and major in a liberal arts degree. You do not need a photo degree to work as a photographer.

This is just my personal opinion, but I think studying photography in college is a waste of money. Use your college education to broaden your mind and to learn some skills that will ultimately help you if you decide to go into the business of photography. And it is a business, something many photographers are undereducated about when they go into the field,

Photography can be self taught although taking some workshops and college classes can be instrumental in learning such things as lighting. If you want to do advertising photography, then workshops that cover producing a set would be useful, as would being an assistant to a successful commercial photographer. On the other hand, if you are committed to photojournalism or documentary work, then you may want to learn that on the side while you support yourself with a better paying job (which is just about any other kind of job than photojournalism).

To be quite frank, many areas of photography are just not profitable anymore. I have been successful as a travel photographer for many years, but licensing my images as stock photography doesn't pay anywhere near what it did a decade or so ago. Digital changed that industry as there are millions of images now competing for sales. So do your research about what kind of photography you want to do to see if you can make a living at it. In the meantime use your college years to explore subjects in several areas and learn skills that you can fall back on if you decide photography is not likely to work out. But if you do decide to pursue photography, those skills will likely be useful in one way or another at sometime during your career.

I was in your shoes, I found the best solution for the education you are looking for at a school in Iowa. It is called Hawkeye College, and has an Associate of Arts degree in Photography. It will cut to the point in two years of intense photography.
The major 4 year programs do not focus on the real life photography profession. You will learn the fundamentals you need. The rest is up to you to dedicate time to your advancement. Great life, but it is up to you to be successful.

these days there are numerous options to pursue a degree in photography. If you want to have the opportunity to make a living, I suggest the "commercial" route vs. "art" path. The technical schools are not social sciences oriented, they focus on the process of creating work for the promotion of commerce. If you are undecided about what you want to do for a living, I do not suggest a technical school but a traditional liberal arts institution.