I also thought of the UH Honors College for you. However, it seems quite challenging for those below the top 20%.
620 entering freshmen
1380 average SAT
Top 10 percent, including 17 valedictorians 52%
Next 10 percent 21%
Below 20 percent 10%
Unranked 17%
However, give it a shot! Also, apply to UT and maybe get capped. Then go to the CAP school (maybe UTSA) and transfer into journalism. You seem to want journalism more than music performance like UNT’s strength.