best college to study criminal justice that isnt like yale or harvard? i know i wont get it there

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a college in New York City, and it ranks #3 in top colleges in America for Criminal Justice! If you live in NY, it should be pretty cost-efficient (I think it's around $7k/year?). However, if you live out of state it'll be around 18k/year i believe.

Since you stated that you know you won't get into Harvard or Yale, John Jay is definitely a good option to consider, given that it has a great ranking & isn't as competitive to get into as the T25 schools. (Plus, since you're considering studying law, presumably after undergrad, you can work hard in a CUNY & then go to a prestigious law school if you want) Ultimately, employers will look at what graduate school you went to over your undergrad.

I've been looking for the same thing and I've looked at Texas A&M and I think I've seen University of Dallas on some college lists, too, since you're in Texas.

I'd look into Loyola Marymount U! Or even places like NYU, or Penn.