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Drum Sticks
Drum sticks are a weird and wonderful world, of which few seem to have definitive knowledge.
Hickory
The most important thing about drum sticks is that they should be made of hickory. Hickory is a hard wood, with fine grain, that produce very straight sticks that are resistant to warping.
Straightness
The second most important thing is that they are straight. You can check this by putting them on a flat surface and rolling them. If the tip wobbles, then they are wonky.
Weight
Next up is the feel of the stick. Is it the right weight for you? Generally speaking, smaller people, playing lighter beats will use lighter sticks. This is far from being a hard and fast rule, but is a good rule of thumb.
I start my students on 5As, but I myself use 5Bs. Generally speaking the lower the number, the thicker and heavier the stick. I have 7As for playing jazz, for example.
The difference between 5A and 5B is the shape of the shoulder. The 5A has a longer, slimmer neck and the 5B has a shorter, chunkier neck. This puts more weight up by the tip, for more powerful strokes. These are good for heavy rock, but more weight means more work, so they might wear your arms out.
Tip
There are two main shapes of tips and two main materials. Shape-wise there are round tipped and oval tipped. Round tipped give a slightly sharper sounds as there is less contact between the tip and the skin. Oval tipped give a softer strike as more of the tip strikes the skin.
With regards material, you get wooden tips and nylon tips. Nylon tips are harder and last longer, but they give a hard sound, which I particularly dislike on the ride cymbal. I play with wooden tips, with the understanding that they are better, but won't last as long.
Brand
To be honest, most of the big name brands like Vic Firth, Zildjian, Premier, Vater produce sticks of a very similar quality. For beginners, there is no major difference, between the major brands. It's probably best to stick to these makes.
Types
Finally there are different types of drum sticks, such as beaters, brushes and hot rods. These have different uses and are not really relevant to beginners.
There is an argument that Hot Rods and brushes help you play quieter, but they are a completely different kind of feel. Nothing like sticks. I would recommend that students learn to play more quietly, rather than use these sticks.
Taste
Finally and most importantly, buy a pair of drum sticks that you like, that make you feel good. If gold drumsticks flick your switch then get gold drum sticks. But the clincher is how they feel. If they feel good, they probably are good.